


A Long Awaited Walk Down the Aisle

by Xenafox



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Anal Sex, Bachelor Party, Comedy, Drinking, Fun, M/M, Oral Sex, Romance, Sexual Content, Wedding Night, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-09
Updated: 2013-10-09
Packaged: 2017-12-28 22:02:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/997444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xenafox/pseuds/Xenafox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two bachelor parties, a wedding, and the sexy wedding night :D </p><p>Something DOES happen though in addition...ah, life changes, some good, some depressing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Love is Getting Drunk and Playing the Slot Machines

**Author's Note:**

> Barnaby's bachelor party comes first!

Barnaby looked out the window of the limo, keeping his eye on Kotetsu’s waving figure on the sidewalk until he was completely out of sight. He wished so badly he could have come along, that he could be sitting next to him in the limo and sipping sparkling water. 

Instead, he turned to face his company for the evening. Antonio, Nathan, Keith, and Muramasa all looked back at him. Muramasa looked vaguely uncomfortable, but the more Keith had spoken to him before leaving, the more at ease he seemed. Keith was a relatively upbeat and goofy guy and could help anyone feel a little more comfortable.

Nathan poured Barnaby a glass of the water. “It’s cherry flavored, have a taste Handsome.”

“Shouldn’t we be having wine in here?” Barnaby asked, sighing and examining his glass. The limo went over a bump and it splashed a little, but Barnaby was unconcerned. He was wearing his usual attire. If he got it dirty, so what, he had some other casual clothing he could wear until it was time to put on the wedding tux. 

He was both excited and nervous, and maybe it showed as his eyes darted between the glass and his lap. 

“We’re not going anywhere too nuts, Barnaby. The crazier stuff is being saved for your fiancé.” Antonio chuckled a little.

Barnaby looked up at him. “Will it be safe?”

“Of course,” Nathan snorted, “Just focus on tonight. It’s all about you.”

“Was going out in the day out of the question?” Barnaby muttered, watching the lights of the city outside his window. He didn’t like to admit he was unsure of how to deal with a bachelor party. The idea scared him a little because he heard quite a few strange tales regarding those. He was only ever allowed to go to classy parties and as he became an adult that’s all he wanted to attend. 

Maverick had always made it apparent that such crazy outings were a waste of time. All that happened was stupidity and a hangover. It wasn’t until Barnaby had gotten drunk that first night with Kotetsu and begun to open up that he thought maybe Maverick wasn’t totally right. They didn’t do anything crazy, but having drinks with someone without there even being a reason was a first for him, and no one supervised how much he had. 

Even if he had partied since then, he hadn’t done so without Kotetsu. He always had Kotetsu by his side for that kind of thing, especially since he easily became a quiet cuddly drunk around him. A horny drunk too, though he was sure that was centered on Kotetsu’s presence only…probably.

“Not totally, no,” Antonio was answering him. “But it would have been a lot more tame in the daytime, you know? Not even a chance to be adult.”

“Where are we even going?” Barnaby asked. He hated not knowing and he was annoyed. He was supposed to be having fun. 

“You’ll see,” grumbled Muramasa. “It was the only thing we could all agree on.”

“I just don’t want it to be a strip club,” Barnaby confessed. He’d been to one with Kotetsu. It was awkward. They hadn’t made it home and had to stop at a cheap hotel.

Nathan grinned and elbowed a pouting Antonio. “I told you Handsome wouldn’t like that!”

“Yea, yea, shut up,” Antonio said, and the limo continued on. 

They made small talk as it went and Barnaby just kept shifting in his seat. He didn’t have much to say and felt like the odd one out even though they were celebrating his last –well, next to last- night being single. And that was something worth celebrating, he supposed, after always being alone. Still…

The limo drove onto an on-ramp to get on one of the major roads that led to a very ritzy, expensive part of the city. It was a place Barnaby had never lived but could if he really wanted to. The area held no appeal to him with its gaudiness, flaunting the wealth and weirdness of the dwellers within. Their homes and streets were over the top, always too decorated and bizarre. Barnaby frowned at the idea of it being the place for his party.

Keith must have noticed the frown. “Hey don’t worry! We’re going to have a lot of fun!”

“Heh…” Barnaby looked out the window again to see the bright lights coming up ahead of them.

“Relax, Handsome, we’re not taking you to a comedy show or shopping.” Nathan looked out the window as well and he was visibly excited. “Oooh! I see the racetrack already!”

“Race…track?” Barnaby asked. That was odd. There were no car race tracks in the city. 

“Horses, honey.” 

“Oh.” Barnaby nodded at Nathan. That made sense with the casinos in that district as well and-waaait a minute. Barnaby had an idea of where they could be going. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but between the two of him he would definitely be safer than bringing Kotetsu. 

And he was right. The limo pulled onto the main street and all he could see were shining lights along the strip and people everywhere, dressed in what looked like theater costumes. He expected it but his eyes were still wide. A few of the people walking by paused and looked into the limo, smiling and waving when they realized who it was. Barnaby knew he was safe in there, he was always safe no matter where he was, but he didn’t like how close they came to the car. 

The limo kept going and he didn’t have to worry. Finally it pulled over next to a huge building, decorated in blues, greens, and purples. He was sure there was a gaudy sign at the top but the sign in front of the revolving glass door read ‘Welcome to the Strutting Peacock Hotel and Casino!’. He’d heard of the place, at some point…

The doors opened and his party got out quickly, lined up outside the limo, and stood there all grinning like idiots when Barnaby popped out. “So…here?” he asked, standing awkwardly with the limo door still open. “Here?” he repeated.

Muramasa nodded. “We thought it might be fun for one of you. Kotetsu would have been a problem though,” Muramasa said, echoing the thoughts Barnaby had in the car.

“Can you imagine if we got him smashed and he got to the slot machines? That wouldn’t end well,” Antonio said with a laugh that Muramasa joined in with momentarily.

“You guys think I’ll be safer, then?” Barnaby asked and watched as his overnight bag was unloaded from the limo by a busboy with feathers on his head and ass. “Huh. I have to say I think so too. So am I just here to drink and gamble?”

“Sorta.” Antonio shrugged. “We’ll see where the night takes us, right? We got you a damn expensive hotel room to hang around in. There’s a hot tub. There’s also a pool in the hotel.”

“That’s not a good idea if I drink…” Barnaby smiled though and they all turned to enter the building.

 

Barnaby had wanted to go to his big room right away, but they didn’t let him. First things first, they led him through the lobby of the casino to a nice restaurant inside. The waiters wore peacock feathers on their butts, everything was decorated with peacocks. The lights were blue and green and there were quite a few real trees as décor. 

He was escorted to a private table near the back with peacock salt and pepper shakers sitting on top of an emerald green table. It was beautiful, and by Barnaby’s standards, acceptable. He felt good as he was seated along with his party. “I like this,” he said, looking up at the ceiling to see paintings of peaocks all over. 

“I thought you would!” said Keith, and Barnaby looked at him in surprise. 

Nathan chuckled. “Yes, we all came to the decision but Hunk over here was the one who picked this place to begin with.”

“Ahaha. Well, thank you, this is a good choice,” Barnaby said and then blinked when a colorful, tropical looking drink was placed in front of him. It looked…well, like a peacock’s tail. “Uhh…”

“It’s called The Kinky Peacock,” the short waiter told him, his face a liiiittle too close to Barnaby’s. “You’ll LOVE it,” he said before practically gliding away.

“I drink wine…”

“It’s the drink that represents this place! Come on, throw it back!” Antonio urged and the others joined in.

Barnaby wanted to complain. He did prefer wine, but it looked very good and really, he wasn’t going to refuse the drink of the house. He picked it up and started to sip it slowly through the green straw placed inside. Flavors of banana and melon exploded in his mouth, with peach schnapps and something he didn’t recognize.

Whatever it was, it was good and he had another one along with his meal of a cobb salad and a delicious fancy pot roast. He saw Muramasa and Antonio exchange glances as he started on that next Peacock. They probably thought he couldn’t hold it, but he hadn’t even had his wine yet – he’d be fine. 

He was not going to be drunk and ridiculous and that was that.

Dessert was ice cream for everyone but him. For Barnaby, he got a fruit smoothie thing loaded with rum. He wasn’t too sure about it, but it was unbelievably good and he had it way too fast, probably – when he stood up, he felt a little off balance. He felt good! But he knew he was a little tipsy and had to be careful.

“We’ve only had dinner…don’t make me get drunk superfast,” he said, glaring at them all. 

“Hey, no one made you drink that second Kinky Peacock,” Antonio snorted and Barnaby couldn’t argue. 

“The shirts!” Keith suddenly piped up and everyone looked at him. “Again, the shirts!” He pointed and everyone turned their attention to a well-dressed, short, bald casino employee named Martin bringing over some carefully folded white shirts, held in one hand. 

“Sh-shirts?” Oh man, Barnaby was nervous. 

Nathan turned his head with a sigh while Antonio laughed. “Yea. We got you something special to wear tonight and have as a keepsake.”

Barnaby frowned, but watched curiously as Keith took one of the shirts and unfolded it. He laughed and showed it to Barnaby.

The front of it had a very, VERY drunk pink rabbit surrounded by empty wine glasses and a big ‘CONGRATS!’ written in red. That wasn’t so bad – Barnaby had heard of nightmarish shirts and other party favors given out at bachelor parties. He would have bolted out of there if someone had handed him a sex toy or something. But shirts with a drunk pink rabbit? He would never allow them on another occasion but he could deal with them for the night.

But then Keith turned it around and on the other side were huge glittery red letters. They read “BACHELOR BUNNY’S BANGIN’ BASH”. 

“NOPE.” Barnaby turned around and searched for the best place to run off to. He was so, so not wearing that! He spotted a sign for the restrooms, perfect! He was going to go hide in there and he was starting to dart off when Muramasa grabbed his arm. “Oh no you don’t. We’re all putting these on.”

Muramasa. OF COURSE they would choose him. Barnaby couldn’t just say no to Kotetsu’s brother. …Well, he could, but he didn’t think being pissy at him would be a good idea. “But…” He could only utter the word weakly. 

“Even Martin has one on!” Keith said and Barnaby turned to see Martin had very quickly changed shirts, the party shirt with his dress pants. 

“This is embarrassing!” Barnaby protested.

“No, this is a damn bachelor party.” Antonio took off his shirt, all his chest hair bursting out in glory. The other three took off their shirts and handed them to Martin while several women strolled by and whistled. Antonio grinned and showed himself off.

“Off with the shirt, Handsome. If I am doing this tacky thing, you must too.” Clearly the shirts had not been Nathan’s idea. 

Barnaby didn’t want to. He REALLY didn’t want to. But, he pictured if Kotetsu were there, in his place, or for some reason with him. Kotetsu would have found it hilarious. He found a lot of annoying things hilarious. And if he saw pictures of that night…Barnaby knew there would be pictures…he would love it. 

So he took off his shirt, gave it to Martin, and quickly pulled on his party shirt. Much to his embarrassment his friends and Martin clapped and then everyone else put on their shirts. Barnaby turned in disgust when they started high-fiving each other.

 

The next thing they did was let him loose on the floor. Barnaby didn’t really know what to do, so they got him a shit-ton of coins in a container and sent him to the slot machines. Nathan accompanied him while the others ran elsewhere.

Barnaby liked the slot machines. They were therapeutic as he put coin after coin in the peacock’s mouth and pulled the tail-lever and got even more coins. He loved it. He was so mesmerized by the spinning numbers and symbols that he ignored Nathan a little. He blocked everyone out – until a cold glass was shoved in his hand.

“Um..” He looked down to see a green drink in his hand with stuff around the edges.

“Margaritas! Don’t mind if I do!” Nathan said, taking a glass off the platter Martin presented. Suddenly the others were there too, with their own glasses and sipping. 

Barnaby looked at them all, then the drink and decided what the hell, he might as well drink it.

When he got through it he was competing with Antonio at the slots. “Ha! I won four coins!”

“Six!”

“TWENTY!”

“Oh fuck you,” Antonio grumbled and Nathan tsked tsked at him. 

Keith stood behind him and cheered him on. He had no idea where Muramasa was when he showed up and took his glass. “Next thing, Barnaby.”

“But…” Barnaby pulled the lever on the slot machine next. 

“No, no, enough of that. We’re going to go bet on the horses racing tonight.” Muramasa was firm and the others stood up to join him. 

Barnaby sighed and followed. He was still tipsy, and not really entertained. He was just being dragged around a casino. He was brought to the betting window where he ended up placing a small bet on a horse named “Takeoff”. He didn’t really know the odds and didn’t care, just placing a bet on the same horse as the person in front of him.

The others placed their own and then led him to a bar where they could see the screen. The bartender was preoccupied, but somehow Martin still showed up behind the bar and handed him a whiskey sour. Barnaby made a face, he wasn’t a huge fan of whiskey. Buuuut, he started drinking it.

And he kept drinking it, waiting for the race. Then he was waiting for the race to finish and Antonio was being loud about something, but he was losing focus. The whiskey sour really wasn’t so bad. Maybe it was even good. He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that his head was starting to feel fuzzy.

Maybe he wouldn’t mind being drunk, so long as no one gave him gin. He leaned back and then slid off the chair, unable to sit as he finished his drink and the horses came in. “Takeoff” only came in third but he cheered anyway before being dragged back to the window to collect some winnings. It was a little more than he thought.

“What now?” he asked, feeling perky. 

“Perhaps karaoke, because-hey!” Antonio stopped as Barnaby started to bolt for the bathrooms again. 

 

Luckily, they didn’t made him sing. They did bring Barnaby to the roulette table, where he kind of stared at the game for a few minutes before placing a bet on black evens. Or was it red odds? Barnaby just figured he may as well try a gambling game while he was there, but it just really wasn’t his thing. The whiskey sour hit him and he put a little too much down too fast, so he was dragged away from that table.

He was hauled to a giant prize wheel and Nathan made him spin that in front of a crowd that cheered for him. Barnaby was sure that not even half of them knew he was actually getting married unless they read the shirt. He was a celebrity, so of course they were standing there clapping. Barnaby grinned stupidly back at them even though he didn’t want to talk to them or interact at all. He waited for a cue from Nathan and spun the brightly lit up prize wheel.

Whatever it landed on, he couldn’t tell, but Martin stepped up with a huge bowl of skittles, handed it to him, and everyone cheered. It was very strange and stupid, but Barnaby stood up there and ate his skittles anyway. 

Antonio stepped up next to him. “Next…okay, I’ll get his legs and-“

Barnaby tuned him out as soon as he heard someone say “Hey turn HeroTV up!” He stuffed a mouthful of skittles into his mouth and pushed the bowl at a very surprised Antonio before he ran over to the bar they’d been by earlier. He could see on the screen that had once displayed the race stats that there was a robbery elsewhere in the city and two men were zipping off on motorcycles. Kind of like him and Kotetsu, he thought, but bad. 

He saw Blue Rose and laughed. He wasn’t sure why he laughed exactly. He and Blue Rose weren’t fond of each other at all, even if they ignored the mutual dislike. He waited to see who would show up next, and then it dawned on him. He spun in place as the others approached. “Wait, wait, if you’re all here, then who…?”

Muramasa sighed and crossed his arms before nodding up at the screen. “Who else would you expect?”

Barnaby looked back up and – there he was! Wild Tiger! Barnaby smiled and from behind him Antonio whistled and yelled something. Look at his man in action! Barnaby wished he could be there at his side, tracking down the criminals, chasing them on his own chaser, coordinating with Kotetsu. He missed him…

And he worried for his safety out there alone especially as Kotetsu nearly hit a trashcan on the sidewalk.

Maybe he looked forlorn or it’d already been planned, but Martin pressed a large mojito into his hand. Barnaby didn’t think twice before sipping at it. Blue Rose had caught up to Kotetsu and they were teaming up. Barnaby wasn’t jealous, how could he be? Even if he felt he belonged there, he knew in a couple of nights he’d be laying Kotetsu out on the bed and nibbling on his neck. “In your face,” he muttered as the camera zoomed in on Blue Rose.

“What’s that now, Handsome?” Nathan asked and came up to stand beside him.

Without really meaning to, Barnaby giggled. “Nooothing.”

He kept watching, and the camera changed to Dragon Kid. The criminals and their bikes were trapped against a wall, but they turned and started…climbing up them. Okay then. And they were getting away fast when one whipped out a gun. Barnaby drank some more as Kotetsu got close.

It was clear he needed help, so Kotetsu lit up blue. The picture changed in a blur rather suddenly and he heard a sound from Antonio behind him. Barnaby didn’t care what it was, he wanted Kotetsu back on the screen. Dragon Kid was electrocuting the guys from her spot on the ground and Blue Rose was whipping out the ice, and then the men were down just like that.

All three of the heroes were shown advancing and arresting the men. Kotetsu’s blue glow was gone, had forty seconds already passed? Time was going by a liiiiittle faster than Barnaby realized. Everything felt a little quick and strange. HeroTV cut to some garble about the robbers and what they had been doing. Barnaby turned away. 

“I want Kotetsu,” he said, not meaning to blurt that out.

“Oh honey, you’ll have him soon,” Nathan said, hand on his back.

“But that’s not now. No offense but he’s the only one I wanna be with…”

“We know, you’re marrying him.” Muramasa sighed. 

“Mmm…okay, what’s next?”

“We were going to throw you in the pool! But you got another drink…” Keith said, sounding bummed.

“Martin was supposed to wait a few minutes,” Antonio added.

He was glad Martin had given him that drink if the alternative was getting soaked. “Yea…I’m gonna go play Blackjack.” Barnaby started to stroll purposely toward the table, ready to do some gambling until he was able to cope with Kotetsu not being there. He almost reached the table when he saw the man standing behind the table. It was no one he knew, but he had a huge mole on his forehead. Barnaby immediately turned and got the hell away from that table before his memories started flashing.

 

Muramasa led Barnaby out of the bathroom and they all agreed maybe he should go to his room. The mojito had hit him and he was totally unfocused, and stumbled when he walked. He kept shooting the Blackjack table angry little glances. It didn’t matter who the guy was, the mole was more than enough to let him know if he stayed and played at that table he would begin to get sad and enraged at the same time. 

“I dunwanna go to my room,” he protested, even though he kind of did. The casino was beginning to feel like a little too much. He was in Sternbild every day, sure, and in perilous situations but that wasn’t the same as drinking in a casino built like a labyrinth where there were lots of people and he had no idea what to do with himself. 

“I know, Kotetsu’s not up there,” Nathan said to him in a sympathetic tone. “But we should get you up there, it’s been a couple of hours and too many drinks.”

It had been that long!? Barnaby had lost track. It didn’t help that there were no clocks in the place, and he’d been forced to take off his call bracelet before coming out. “I know,” he finally answered as he was led to the elevator. “I wish he was.”

“We know,” Antonio said and with a ding the elevator door opened. Martin stood inside, ready to select the floor. “You’ll have him soon enough.”

“That’s not now,” Barnaby said and crossed his arms, but got on the elevator. He regretted it when the doors closed and the thing started moving. It made his stomach do flip flops and he grabbed onto the metal bar inside to steady himself. He would be so mad at himself if he barfed. 

“Two days, Barnaby, you’re a big boy,” Muramasa muttered. 

“But I need him and he needs me,” Barnaby said, trying hard not to hurl with every word he said. Oh hell, when would the elevator ride end!? He couldn’t stand how it was making him feel. He was sick and he was getting emotional. 

“You can do it!” Keith said supportively and the others agreed. 

What did they know? Barnaby just frowned. They didn’t understand how badly he needed Kotetsu, that’s why he was marrying him for God’s sake. Maybe the party had been a mistake…

Another ding and he was dragged onto the seventh floor. 

They were led to room 709 by Martin. He opened the door and Barnaby saw a huge room, two beds, a couch, a widescreen tv, a desk…the usual hotel things, but in a large space. There was a banner that said ‘Congrats Barnaby!’ in pink letters and some red and pink confetti all over the floor. There was candy, and bottles of red wine, and stuffed bunnies.

It looked like the spirit of Valentine’s Day had a bad case of the runs all over the room.

Barnaby walked in and looked all around, making a face. He was drunk, but he knew that tacky was tacky and he wouldn’t be caught dead in there. Too bad a flash went off and he turned to see Antonio with a camera and shit-eating smile. “Kotetsu will love this picture.”

“Don’t show that to him!” Barnaby sputtered, and Antonio laughed.

“What, he hasn’t seen you in more embarrassing situations?”

Kotetsu had seen him with his legs spread and in the air with a smiley face drawn in chocolate on his belly, so Barnaby didn’t answer. 

“That’s what I thought. Now, would you like to get in the hot tub or watch tv?” Nathan asked.

Barnaby thought hard about it. Both sounded nice, but he wasn’t sure about slipping into his speedo or even trunks and getting into the hot tub with or around other guys. It didn’t matter they wouldn’t hurt him or touch him. It just seemed like something to be reserved for his one and only. “TV,” he said, and was pushed onto the bed directly in front of it. 

While he was busy scowling and being annoyed Muramasa turned on the television and took a seat in the chair, looking serious. He had been pretty serious all night. Antonio took the remote. “I’ll decide what we’re watching…” 

Barnaby didn’t catch the glance between Keith and Nathan, he only noticed he had a glass of wine handed to him by Martin, who then left the room. He was then urged to sit back against the fluffy pillows and handed a stuffed bunny. It was okay, but it wasn’t his pink birthday bunny from Kotetsu and was thus inferior. He was comfortable at least, and turned his attention to the TV.

Antonio messed with the remote for a moment, and then a picture sprang onto the TV. It appeared to be a movie of some kind, and Barnaby just stared. He was content with his wine and thought he might even fall asleep. He hoped not. He didn’t want to have a watch a loud action movie he didn’t care about to stay up - some quiet normal movie would be just fine. He was in a happy zone even if he missed Kotetsu badly. 

Then movie was focused on some man, a farmer it seemed. He had a rough family life, and a lot of animals to manage. His wife hated him and his only friend was a collie named Brownie. It was sweet, Barnaby supposed, and he drank his wine while the others opened beers. Muramasa was avoiding looking at the movie, for whatever reason. 

Barnaby was a little intrigued by it, he supposed, mostly wondering why it had been selected. The farmer published an ad looking for help on the farm and in time, a younger Spanish guy answered it. His name was Migueldo or something, Barnaby wasn’t sure. He started talking to the farmer a lot. Then, in one scene, they were talking in the barn about relationships. Barnaby began to get a weird feeling in his gut as the two men got closer, and closer, and then started kissing. 

“Gay romance movies? Really?” he asked loudly. He didn’t really care, but couldn’t they have chosen something a little more interesting? The men were taking off each other’s shirts and kissing more. Barnaby expected it to cut off around the time where the farmer began to rub his helper’s crotch. Instead, the film kept going and the farmhand dropped to his knees, unzipped the farmer’s pants, and pulled out his dick.

Barnaby yelped and almost spilled his wine as he rushed to cover his eyes.

“Prude much?” Antonio asked and laughed, Keith joining him. 

“No! Why are we…ahhh!” He uncovered his eyes for a split second to see the farmer rubbing himself against Migueldo’s face. 

“This is mean,” Nathan commented.

“How?” Keith asked.

“Well, you’re torturing him by showing him some porn between two other men, and I don’t think he really enjoys anyone but Kotetsu naked,” Muramasa stated.

“Gee, thanks, I couldn’t have figured that out,” Antonio replied to Muramasa who just sighed. 

Barnaby continued to be unable to look as the sounds of moaning and grunting and wet slaps began to get louder. He was glad they hadn’t hired a stripper or something, naked people on the TV were easier to handle, but still! It wasn’t Kotetsu’s dick so he wasn’t sure how he felt about actively watching.

There was also the problem he had thought about earlier, how being drunk could make him horny. He was praying that his body wouldn’t respond to the lewd noises he was hearing. He was seeing himself and Kotetsu in his mind, not the farmer and his helper. 

“Turn it off, please, turn it off!” he demanded, and he heard the sound go off. When he opened his eyes it was still on, just muted, so he growled loudly in reaction to the laughs and jumped out of bed. They immediately got up to stop him but Barnaby ran into the bathroom – and this time he was able to lock the door. 

Once in there he wasn’t sure what to do. The bathroom hadn’t been decorated for his party, why would it have been? He was almost disappointed though. He noticed he still had his wine so he finished that, then immediately turned to put on a cool shower. He heard someone knocking on the door and saying his name. “I’m fine!” he shouted, stripping off his clothes quickly and getting into the spacious shower. 

The water felt nice. He hadn’t realized how overheated he was starting to get with the drinks and being in the bed. The bed felt like a blur and he found himself trying to remember if anything else had happened. The alcohol combined with his fragile memories had him crossing his arms over himself and sitting on the floor of the shower while the cool water hit his back.

Everything spun around him. He’d gotten drunk so fast. But he hadn’t gotten loud and crazy. He couldn’t loosen up around those guys, which was maybe a problem, but he was glad he hadn’t made a fool of himself. He got to enjoy the festivities without being totally sober. That was enough, right?

Was he doing it right? Was he really living his life by not getting drunk off his ass and waking up in the back of a semi or something, as he had heard about in really nutty bachelor party stories?

He was doing okay, he wagered. And bonus, he’d kept himself from getting stupid horny by getting in the shower. His wedding night…it was an understatement to say he was looking forward to that. 

Finally he hauled himself off the shower floor and turned it off, falling into the wall as he did so. No big deal. He dried himself off and gave his dirty clothes a scowl – until he saw a pink robe hanging on the inside of the door. Of course! Hotels supplied those to him all the time. He grabbed it and put it on, tying it very tightly since he was not going to put his dirty underwear back on. He kicked it all into a pile under the sink, since he was too drunk to care about his casual clothes and special shirt. The hotel would clean them.

When he emerged everyone was watching him. “Hi?” he asked, confused. 

“Barnaby, you were in there forty minutes,” Muramsa grumbled. 

“We were gonna barge in there at the hour mark,” Antonio added. 

“Oh. I’m okay.” Barnaby moved past them. Bed. Bed. He needed his bed because the water had left a chill and he was drunk enough to know he just wanted to lay down and be warm. Warm and cozy. He wouldn’t have Kotetsu to cuddle with, but he had all those bunnies. Those would be alright. 

Nathan sighed as Barnaby pulled back the bed covers and practically collapsed. “Are you even having fun, or did we waste your time?”

“No, no,” Barnaby said with a smile, letting his head fall back. “No I’m fine, it’s all just new that’sall,” he told them.

“I told you!” said Keith and Nathan just muttered something.

“You okay?” Antonio asked, walking up next to the bed. 

“Yea, yea, just call Kotetsu and tell ‘im I love him…and all that,” he said, feeling his mind starting to fade. He was in a happy calm place and wanted to sleep. Just sleep. He’d had a party, he’d done the social thing, he just wanted to sleep and wake up and have it be his wedding day.

Antonio laughed. “We’ll tell him, but believe me I think he knows.”

“He does, pet his face for me…but…don’t touch him,” Barnaby said as he felt a twinge of possessiveness. “Is mine.”

“We know, Handsome. Go to sleep, we’ll be here.” Nathan chuckled.”

“Uh-huh…” Barnbaby started to say more, but passed out instead.

 

He had strange dreams, but luckily no nightmares. He dreamt about getting married, and then Kotetsu turned into a bird and flew away right before the vows. He dreamt about dancing dice and horses bringing him candy. He dreamt about calling Kotetsu and just hearing his voice. 

Some hours later he woke up with intense stomach pains and a headache, rolling around and wanting nothing more to go to the bathroom. He was also afraid if he moved he would immediately throw up. 

Luckily for him, Martin was standing by with a bucket.


	2. Love is Getting Drunk and Riding the Tilt-A-Whirl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kotetsu's bachelor party, plus...he has to admit something.

The phone woke Kotetsu up. He groaned and tried to ignore it since it was in the middle of the night, but the odd timing could mean it was an emergency too. It wasn’t his call bracelet which meant it could be a friend or family thing. As his tired brain remembered Barnaby was at his party, Kotetsu found more energy to actually answer the phone.

“Hello?” he said, his sight still too blurry to read the ID.

“Kotetsu?” Barnaby’s voice sounded tired as hell. 

Kotetsu sat up straight. “Bunny! You okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m in bed, ‘veryone’s asleep, all sleep, all over the room.”

“Okay…”

“I drank a lot and I woke up and you weren’t here so I needed to call you.”

Kotetsu smiled. The ‘rule’ was that they don’t talk or see each other until the wedding, but a drunk Barnaby probably didn’t remember that and Kotetsu wasn’t going to hang up. “I see. Did you have fun?”

“I think so, there were a lot of coins. I took a really long shower.”

“Damn. I woulda liked to see that.”

“The money or the shower?”

“You in the shower!” Kotetsu laughed. Barnaby’s voice…he was just so gone, the poor guy! “Bunny, you should go back to sleep, okay?”

“But then I can’t talk to you…”

“I know, we’ll talk soon. But I’m exhausted Bunny, and I can tell you are too. Go to sleep, okay?”

“Okay. You’re right. I’ll go to sleep.”

“Okay.” Kotetsu chuckled. “I’m glad you survived the night, Bunny, and it’s nice hearing your voice.”

“I wanted to hear yours so bad.”

“I’m sure.” He really did miss Barnaby too, the bed felt odd without him. “Alright. I love you, Bunny. Good night.”

“I love you too Kotetsu. I won’t call again tonight. I want you to sleep.”

“Yes, yes…good night,” he said again, and waited until Barnaby had hung up. He didn’t want to hang up on him first when he was tired, drunk and emotional. He didn’t sound sad though, and Kotetsu was glad for that. 

He wished he was feeling the same. His own night flashed in his mind as he laid back down in his bed, pulling the covers up. Barnaby would kill him for not talking about it right away, but being that they were in the nights of the bachelor parties, hopefully he would be forgiven. He really hoped so, anyway. 

He couldn’t wait for the next day when he could distract himself from missing Barnaby, and thinking about his other troubles.

 

“Alright guys.” Kotetsu walked out of the Apollon building to see the group from the night before standing outside. “You’ve come to take me to my party, right?”

“Sure have!” Keith said enthusiastically. 

Kotetsu laughed and held out his arms, hands pressed together and palms up. “Cuff me and take me,” he said playfully. “You guys gonna shove my head down as you force me in the limo?”

“You don’t get a limo,” Muramasa said matter-of-factly. 

“Oh.” Kotetsu shrugged. “Okay, what are we doing then?”

“Just follow us, we can walk to this,” Antonio said and Kotetsu noticed he gave him an odd look. He probably saw what happened the night before. Did that mean Barnaby did too? 

Kotetsu tried not to worry about it and nodded. “Alright, take me!” 

“Will do. Here.” Antonio handed him a tall, solid green water bottle. “You can drink this while we walk.”

“What, water? Why do I need-“

“Just take a drink,” Nathan said, a little smile on his face. 

Kotetsu raised an eyebrow, but lifted the cap and took a nice big gulp that he instantly regretted. That was not water, but it sure was some fruity rum. It didn’t have any kind of high alcohol content, so it wouldn’t do much to him, but depending on how fast he drank that he could have a little buzz going on. “Pfft. Thanks you guys! This might get me tipsy,” he laughed.

Then Keith produced another bottle. “It’s a long walk, so we have another just in case!”

Kotetsu kept laughing and shook his head. Clearly they did not intend for him to spend a second sober and calm.

 

They walked and they walked and then they walked some more. Kotetsu had moved onto another bottle by then, and while he was feeling fairly upbeat he wasn’t feeling much else. It wasn’t a bad thing, since as far as he was concerned they hadn’t really started yet, but it did make him wonder.

“So how was Bunny last night?” he asked during some of the random chatter. 

“He seemed okay.” Nathan laughed a little. “What a precious little thing. He was clearly out of his element. If I didn’t know he had a protective tiger I would have given him a great big kiss!”

“You ever give him a kiss and I swear I will come at you,” Kotetsu threatened him.

“Oh my!” Nathan feigned being insulted. “How could you say that?”

“Just watch where you plant your lips,” Kotetsu said, waving his finger at him before looking ahead when his brother spoke.

“He did fine. We didn’t do anything weird to him. I don’t think he had any idea what to do with himself, but he managed to have a night out without you and that’s really all that needed to be accomplished,”Muramasa said.

And he was completely right. A lot of people saw a bachelor party as celebrating a final night of not being hitched, so strippers and raunchy stuff often came into play, but for Barnaby it was simply a night to have fun without Kotetsu. It was good for him, right? And he would be more eager to see him on the big day.

Kotetsu did miss him a lot, but getting married made it less bothersome. 

“Cool,” he finally said. “Guys?” He stopped, standing in front of an empty alleyway between convenience shops. “Thanks. I mean it, thanks so much for taking him out. He doesn’t have anyone else and…just thanks.” It wasn’t like his friends and brother didn’t accept Barnaby, but none of them HAD to be friendly to him. They didn’t have to buy him drinks or plan anything special especially since Barnaby still kept a distance between them. But they did, and it made him feel happy, warm, and fuzzy.

Some of that had to be the rum.

“No problem!” Keith said.

Antonio chimed in. “Of course, Kotetsu. He’s important to you, so he matters to us. And we do like him enough.”

“Enough…pffft,” Kotetsu snorted and shook his head as Antonio just laughed. 

 

Soon they arrived at their destination. Kotetsu actually hadn’t expected it, and he totally approved – they had arrived at Big Tree, the amusement park that was part of one of his first experiences with Barnaby. It had lots of rides, beer tents, colors, and just about everything he wanted in a fun night, the exception of course being Barnaby. He wanted to take him up on the ferris wheel someday and just cuddle up close to him the whole time. 

It made him miss him more.

“Yo, over here,” Antonio said, waving Kotetsu over to the booth that sold tickets for the rides. 

Kotetsu walked over as Antonio ordered a bracelet with unlimited rides for Kotetsu, and tickets for the others. Kotetsu frowned. “Am I going alone for some rides?”

“Nah. It’s just that not everyone likes each ride. I’m not going on anything that goes upside down.”

“Oh.” That made sense. Kotetsu received his neon pink bracelet…of course it was pink…and peeled off the sticky part so he could put it on and press the ends together. It wouldn’t come off by accident. Those things never came off; they could survive the apocalypse. “I get ya. Where to first?”

The first ride chosen was a giant slide. Hardly a ride, and Kotetsu muttered when he had to climb to the top. He was given a long scratchy blanket of sorts to sit on and down he went. His opinion quickly changed as he went and he let out a loud “WHEEEE!” followed by a disappointed “Aaawwww…” when he came to the end. 

His disappointment was short lived when Antonio gave him a beer. 

“Can we have these outside the beer tents?” Kotetsu asked, looking around. 

“After a certain time of night, yea.” Antonio shrugged and opened one himself. “We need to start getting you drunk now.” 

“Oh.” Kotetsu laughed. “Okay.”

“Chug, though.”

“Eh?”

“Chug chug chug chug!” Keith chimed in. 

Kotetsu’s eyes went wide but he complied, tilting his head back with that bottle pressed to his lips. He hadn’t chugged a beer in a long time, but he could do it! …He had some beer escape and run down his chin, but he still did it!

When he was done he dropped the bottle on the ground and blinked. He felt a minor buzz since he’d had the rum too. “Haha. Good.”

Antonio pointed at the slide. “Get back up there,” he said, and Kotetsu complied.

Needless to say, his next ride down the slide was a lot more fun.

However he had to be physically dragged away from it because if left to his own devices he would just run up and slide down over and over. Why the hell not, it was fun? 

Instead they went to one of the little amusement park restaurants where there was a bar, and Nathan bought him a gorgeous, very lethal shot of tequila. Kotetsu didn’t trust it much but he threw it back anyway, only to be dragged out of the place a minute later. 

Yes, he was definitely feeling buzzed as they brought him to the bumper cars. Everyone got on those but Nathan, who referred to them as undignified. Everyone else laughed and climbed in. Kotetsu was lucky to snatch a dark green car, waiting eagerly for the buzzer to go off. 

As soon as it did he was mashing the pedal to the floor in an effort to chase down Antonio. Antonio was already after Muramasa and various children, and not watching the side when Kotetsu slammed into him hard. “Ow! You asshole,” Antonio shook his fist.

“Hey, don’t swear around the ki-ohfuck!” he was jostled quite violently when Keith crashed into him. Keith offered him nothing but a guilty smile before pulling away and tracking down his next target.

Antonio started to go again, so naturally Kotetsu decided to be annoying as hell and chase him down. He hit him again, and got cursed out. Muramasa hit Kotetsu at one point, earning a middle finger from his brother. Yet, Kotetsu still didn’t go after him. He just kept harassing Antonio, because why not? That was the role of a best friend, after all. 

He had Antonio trapped in a corner and was being called all sorts of mean names by him when the cars all stopped moving and the ride was over. Kotetsu groaned but jumped out of his car. He was eager to know what the next thing was.

Apparently, next on the schedule was a game where he was throwing darts at balloons while one of the carnies sat off to the side, staring and smoking a cigarette. Kotetsu wasn’t sure why they were making him play that game. Was he supposed to be winning a stuffed animal for Barnaby? Possible, but the stand didn’t have any plush bunnies. It had unicorns, frogs, and squirrels, but that was it.

Kotetsu frowned and popped a green balloon. Suddenly some music blasted from the stand, sounding powerful and victorious and a little too close to the music Jake and Kriem had blasted when they approached the city so long ago. “What’s going on?” he asked, and he heard some snickering behind him.

He saw the man running the game put out his cigarette and roll his eyes before bending down to grab something from under the counter of the stand. He handed Kotetsu a decorative wooden box, and Kotetsu immediately started to open it.

Nathan put his hand down on it to keep it closed. “No, no, you can’t open that out here. There are ladies present!”

“Where?” Kotetsu asked, looking around and completely missing the hurt look on Nathan’s face.

Anotnio beckoned for him to follow. “Come on,” he said, and they were back at that bar.

They sat at a table and ordered Kotetsu a classic martini, with various drinks for the rest of them. “Did you guys get hammered with Barnaby, too?” He hoped not, if only because he didn’t want them to overdo it and be sick for the special day. 

“No.” Muramasa shook his head. “It didn’t seem right to do. We wanted to be in our right minds if he began to break down or something.”

Kotetsu narrowed his eyes. “I really don’t want to find out you guys thing he’s insane or something.” They didn’t need to totally tiptoe around him. Barnaby was a capable person. 

“We don’t.” Nathan glared back at him. “But we don’t know him as well as you and never will. We know he has panic attacks, and can get moody, and isn’t always comfortable. None of us wanted him to have a bad time and if we were all piss drunk-correction, I would not be piss drunk- that’s hard to do.”

“I see…”

“Open the box, Kotetsu,” Antonio said suddenly, and Kotetsu knew why. He didn’t want it to become an issue, or a full-blown argument. 

“But-“

“Do it you ass!” Antonio said impatiently, and Kotetsu just looked at him.

Then he looked at the box. A plain wooden box. What could be in there? He knew it would be something strange, and he would probably like it. He opened the top part and set it aside to dig through the green tissue paper inside. 

He pulled out the biggest pink dildo he had ever seen.

“Oh, what the fuck!?” he asked, laughing at it. “What the hell do I need this for?” he asked, turning it this way and that, studying it. It had a rather…bumpy gelatin texture, he noticed as he touched the shaft. It felt like it should have hair on it or something.

“Barnaby’s not here,” Antonio said with a grin. “You can go in the bathroom with it later if you need to, we’ll understand.” 

“What!? No! This would never fit even with…no!” he said again, realizing he was about to give away a few too many details to people who looked like they really did not want to know, with the exception of Nathan. “The hell am I supposed to do with this? I can’t just carry it around!”

“You’re going to have to,” Keith said helpfully, then covered his mouth with his hand as he laughed. 

The color drained from Kotetsu’s face. “…Are you serious?”

Antonio nodded. “Yep. You need to show it off, you know? Especially since it does this.” He leaned over the table and pressed a button at the bottom. The thing lit up with rainbow colors and vibrated like crazy.”

“Oh my God.” Kotetsu watched, mesmerized. 

“Amazingly, I did not help with this one,” Nathan said, looking amused. 

“Who had the idea?” Kotetsu asked, laughing some more.

Keith raised his hand.

“…Really?” Kotetsu asked, genuinely surprised. 

“I thought it would be funny and they agreed,” Keith said, beaming at him while Antonio and Muramasa nodded. 

“Ah geez.” Kotetsu sighed. “And now I have to lug it around a theme park…”

“You won’t care soon,” Antonio said casually and pointed to Kotetsu’s left. “Just work on that,” he said, and Kotetsu was surprised to see his martini had arrived. Since when did it get there? Did the waiter see his new giant dildo?

Kotetsu decided it didn’t matter and grabbed the glass. 

 

Good thing he’d had that drink. He would have been a lot more apprehensive about wandering out into the park with a giant pink dildo tucked under one arm. The thing was over a foot long so it was hard not to notice. He had turned off the rainbow light at least. 

They got about a few feet when a child pointed at the thing and the accompanying parents shot him horrified looks. “No, no, it’s just a gag gift!” Kotetsu protested and they walked by, glaring. “Oh come on I’m not usually like this! I like little kids a lot!” he said, unable to plan his wording well at all. The parents grabbed their child’s hands and hurried away faster. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t talk to parents,” Muramasa suggested. 

“But I’M a parent!” Kotetsu said, as if that changed the fact that he was tipsy and carrying a giant sex toy. “Where to now?”

“If we’re going to put him on something that spins, we should really do that now. One more drink and he’ll throw up for sure on probably any ride.” Nathan said and the others agreed. 

“Uh…” Kotetsu wasn’t sure he liked that at all. He couldn’t handle being spun in too many circles as it was. He had enough alcohol that it could be very, very bad. 

“You get to choose the ride,” Keith said, pointing at various rides, from the roller coaster to the kiddy rides. 

“Oh!” That helped! “Okay!”

Naturally he chose a slow spinning ride first. But being that he was Kotetsu, he couldn’t do something lie planes or cars. He went to the flying elephants that moved up and down as they went around. His friends and brother followed, but none of them were very excited about flying elephants.

Kotetsu pleaded that it was his special night and wouldn’t someone just come with him? Keith volunteered and ended up in the elephant next to Kotetsu’s. Kotetsu did his best to keep the dildo somewhere on his lap where it WASN’T sticking up. No one needed to see that.

After that he went a little better, choosing the Hurrican ride. It was higher up, spun and bounced a little more, and made him wonder about that martini, but he loved it anyway. It was fun! And Keith rode with him again – the guy’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Kotetsu fully enjoyed himself. 

A third ride was next, even though the others weren’t sure. Kotetsu found the swings and hopped right on them. Those were fast too and a lot less stable feeling. His head swam but again, he had fun. He ignored the dildo being propped up in his crotch. 

When he was off Antonio was looking around them. “Okay, there’s a good whiskey stand over there, but you have to buy a cowboy hat-Kotetsu?”

Kotetsu was already running off. “One more ride, one more!”

And though they came after him and tried to convince him otherwise, Kotetsu still chose to get on the Tornado ride. Each car was attached to an arm of the ride, and while the base spun, it was up to the riders to spin their own cars. Antonio found himself yelling at Kotetsu to spin slower and Kotetsu put all his effort into seeing how fast they could go. 

When he stopped, he really regretted it and had to hang his head to take breaths while he recovered. Yea, maybe that hadn’t been smart…

Going to the whiskey bar wasn’t smart either, but one big brown cowboy hat later there he was drinking it and relishing the burn. “Thanks for the hat,” he said halfway through his drink before laughing. 

“Is he finally getting drunk?” Nathan asked, sounding bored.

“Bored?” Kotetsu asked, whirling around on the wooden barstool he had chosen. “You sound bored.”

“No, Tiger dear. We did this last night.” Nathan smiled at him. “Just feeling tired, and I have Handsome’s makeup to do tomorrow.”

“Is anyone doing mine?” Kotetsu asked suddenly. He didn’t know Barnaby was getting any makeup.

Nathan shrugged. “If you’d like, I can do something for you. I didn’t think you’d enjoy it though so I have one of my own staff set just to style your hair an make sure you don’t get your tux dirty before the ceremony.”

Kotetsu pouted. “You guys assume I’ll get everything dirty all the time,” he whined, motioning with his hand and pouring whiskey in his lap. “…Oops.”

Antonio just laughed. “Can’t have that! Can we get another whiskey over here!?”

“What about his pants?” Muramasa asked, giving Kotetsu a stern and disapproving look. 

Nathan set a hand on Muramasa’s shoulder. “I’ll go get him something…don’t you worry.”

Everyone worried. 

 

“Nope, noooope, not doing it.”

Nathan held the green skirt up, petting it with his other hand. “Come now, it’s soft, and it was expensive. On your legs it will look fantastic,” he purred. 

“Damn right it will!” No one was sure if Antonio had gotten drunk along the way too, but he was laughing so hard he was crying and smacking the bar surface with one hand. “Oh God Kotetsu put it on, put it on!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“You want it so bad, you put it on!” Kotetsu snapped and grabbed it from Nathan. He held it toward Antonio. “Here you big loud idiot!”

“Who you calling an idiot?” Antonio asked, smiling.

Kotetsu was finally drunk by then, and he was totally down for smacking Antonio in his smug face. “You, you jackass! Put on the skirt and be pretty!”

“No, no I won’t wear it as delicately as you!” Antonio laughed harder.

“Oh fuck you! You’re just scared you’ll look bad!”

“No I’m not.”

“Scared cow!”

Antonio straightened up and stopped laughing. “Excuse me?”

“Boys, boys…” Nathan sighed. 

“I challenge you, Kotetsu, to a skirt-off.”

“A…a what?” Kotetsu blinked. 

“We’ll see who wears it better! HEY! Can you get another one?” Anotion asked Nathan, pointing at him.

Nathan rolled his eyes, but nodded. “Sure.”

“Good!” Antonio started walking away. “Meet us by the bathroom near the ferris wheel! You guys!” He pointed at Muramasa and Keith, both looking a little confused. “Go help!”

“No, you don’t-“ Kotetsu was cut off.

“GO HELP!” Antonio demanded, and they scattered. He turned to walk to the ferris wheel. “C’mon, Kotetsu.” 

Kotetsu shook his head in disbelief, but followed his best friend. Antonio was up to something and it wasn’t all about skirts. Was he about to get another gag gift? Was he taking him to a stripper? Kotetsu tried to be ready for whatever was coming next. 

“Antonio?” he asked after a minute of silence, and Antonio didn’t answer until they reached the ride, at which point he handed the man operating it a ticket. The man looked at Kotetsu’s dildo and the skirt he was holding, but said nothing.

“We’re getting on this, and we’re having a talk,” Antonio said, suddenly stern.

Kotetsu swallowed. “This isn’t about the skirt is it? Are you even drunk? Dammit!”

“Buzzed, I’ve been drinking beers so long tonight that I think you stopped noticing. But we need to talk.”

Even drunk Kotetsu knew and he dreaded it, but he still climbed into a seat with Antonio. 

Antonio didn’t start talking right away. He waited until the ride started going and they were above the ground, slowly headed toward the top. “So are you going to tell Barnaby right away?”

“Tell him what?” Maybe if he pretended he was too drunk to remember…! But no, he remembered it even better when drunk. 

“He was too drunk to notice when we watched, but we saw it. Your powers…”

“I still lit up!”

“They’re gone, aren’t they?”

It was like he was buried under a crippling weight, crushing out his drunken joy. Kotetsu looked straight ahead, his vision a bit blurred. He forgot about the dildo and the cowboy hat and certainly the skirts. He hadn’t wanted to face it, but all the distractions in the world couldn’t change it. Not even his wedding could change it. 

He had no idea what he was going to do. 

Slowly, he nodded. “…Yes.” 

“Did you know before this?”

“No. They had been going for 40 seconds, 30 seconds, but I guess it just stopped with the slow pace and went right down. I can’t…I can’t even feel my Hundred Power anymore. I felt it when I lit up for a second last night, but now I feel sick thinking about it. It’s like a part of me that was cut away.” And it would never ever come back to him, no matter how he wished and how much he pleaded. 

“I see…I wish I knew what to say, Kotetsu.”

“There’s nothing to say. All that remains is telling Barnaby and figuring out the rest of my life.” Would Barnaby still even want him?

…Of course he would. But he would really be dragging Barnaby down then. He probably wouldn’t even be able to be a hero anymore because it was a very dangerous job even with powers…and he had a daughter and was about to have a husband, so he couldn’t really just go dying. 

Kotetsu reached into his pocket and dug out his cell phone. He immediately found a picture Barnaby, smiling, taken not long after he had proposed. Barnaby was so happy. They’d both been so happy.

“He’s not going to leave you, you know.”

Kotetsu glanced at Antonio and then back to his phone. “I know. But I’m going to make things a lot harder.”

“You can’t help it Kotetsu. Everyone knows this is not something you chose to have happen. Maybe something good will come of it, eh?” He gave Kotetsu a hard thump on the back. 

Kotetsu tried to force a smile, holding back tears at the same time. “Y-yea…”

“Do you think Barnaby will even want to be a hero without you? Maybe you’ll both get a chance at something new in life.”

“Maybe.” Kotetsu shrugged and fell silent as the ferris wheel stopped with them at the top of it, looking over the colorful park. He took in all the lights, all the people, looking at the areas where they had dealt with that little asshole Robin. Interesting times. He’d had his powers then, but he didn’t have Barnaby. If he could go back in time… 

He’d rather have Barnaby, but it was still a difficult reality.

“Look…I didn’t mean to make you upset, but I thought I should talk about it. And I need to know what you want to do regarding Barnaby.”

“Eh…?”

“Would you like one of us to tell him during the prep for the wedding? Or would you rather tell him at the end when you two are alone?”

Barnaby would want to know that sort of thing as soon as possible. It would make him sad, too, and he didn’t want Barnaby to be sad while they said their ‘I do’s. He didn’t want him sad on their wedding night either. It was supposed to be happy, but he also couldn’t postpone telling him without it being an issue. 

“I’ll let you know, guess,” he finally said, still staring at the park. 

“Alright, Kotetsu. As soon as you do know, contact any of us.”

“Okay.” He hated to have someone else tell Barnaby, but if it came down to it…He didn’t know. He just didn’t know what he would do. He didn’t have to decide right that moment thankfully, but he still couldn’t stop thinking about it.

 

The rest of his night was predictable. They got off the ferris wheel after talking some more, and Kotetsu appreciated Antonio’s efforts to help, he really did. He stepped away from the ride to be handed a mystery alcoholic drink and even if he wasn’t sure it would help, he drank it anyway before being shoved into the men’s bathroom to try on his new skirt.

He grumbled the whole time he put it on, and grumbled the whole time he was standing next to Antonio being ‘judged’. Antonio actually wore his skirt pretty well and Kotetsu was impressed. But Antonio beat him in the hairy legs department and that let Kotetsu win.

Or something like that. As drunk as he was he didn’t really remember.

He found his way to the carousel where he climbed on a big beautiful tiger, adjusted his cowboy hat, and rode with a big smile, his mind bouncing between the sadness concerning his powers, how much he missed Barnaby, and the happiness he felt thinking about Barnaby. He was pretty sure he drank something else too even though the others tried to stop him…things got a little blurry after a gust of wind on a ride blew his skirt up and some old ladies got an eyeful. Turned out he wore it more like a kilt.

He insisted he play a game to win a stuffed bunny for Barnaby, and he heard a lot of sighs, but they escorted him over to a game of luck concerning rubber duckies in a pool. Kotetsu kept picking up ducks and not winning so eventually Nathan just bought him a big fluffy white bunny plush with a ribbon around its neck and a heart on its butt. He called it a wedding gift.

Kotetsu laughed but he knew Nathan would have a better wedding gift than that…he hoped so anyway. He was kind of excited about wedding gifts after all! He didn’t place a ton of importance on them, but it was something exciting and he wanted Barnaby to experience it. He was going to make sure his wedding was amazing.

“I’m gonna marry him so hard tomorrow,” Kotetsu slurred as he was carried by Antonio and Muramasa into one of the theme park’s mini hotels. Keith was wearing his hat and carrying the dildo, currently flashing its rainbow light.

“I bet you are,” said Muramasa.

“No, you don’t understand, this has to be the best day of his life ever.”

“I’m sure it will be,” his brother replied. “Considering what he’s been through? I don’t think he really has had any day that could compare to it.”

Kotetsu shook his head and was glad he wasn’t walking because he would have fallen down. “Nope, never, Bunny didn’t even get his own life it’s so sad…”

“We know darling,” Nathan said, petting Kotetsu’s hair. “We know. We’ll all make it good for both of you, don’t you fret.”

Kotetsu closed his eyes briefly at the petting. And then he had a sudden realization. “Bunny…ohmygod…Bunny’s alone right now, isn’t he!? If you’re all here…oh no. He’s all alone! Oh no oh no…”

“Your daughter is with him,” Keith piped up. “They seemed happy when we left!”

“Oh…Kaede’s there?”

“She is, Kotetsu,” Muramasa answered him. “She’s keeping him company and he seemed very pleased to spend time with Kaede. Said they were going to get ice cream and pick up some flowers for tomorrow.”

“Oh…okay…I’m glad he’s not alone and Kaede is helping she wasn’t born when I married her mom so she never got to help she must love it.” He hoped. He didn’t know how hard it was on her, if at all, to know that the wedding was going to happen. She hadn’t seemed mad about it at any point, so he supposed she was okay with it…and she had said she was excited and she liked Barnaby…

He was certainly overthinking things and kept his mouth shut as they opened the door to a very decorative and childish room. There were cartoon animals all over the wall.

“Here we are,” Nathan said, and hurried to the bed where he pulled back the covers.

Antonio and Muramasa dumped Kotetsu in there and Nathan proceeded to tuck him in. “Sure we should be putting him right in bed?” Muramasa asked.

“He’ll be okay.” Antonio took a bottle of water from the nightstand, something he had requested staff have waiting for them. He requested several. He handed it to Kotetsu. “I know this drill. Kotetsu, drink up.”

Kotetsu eagerly took the bottle and tipped it, drinking all the water in one long chug. Then he crushed it in his hand and threw it across the room. “I love you guys.”

“Can you not throw trash?” Nathan asked, appalled as he went to retrieve it.

“Ssssorry.” Talking was hard. “Can I have that bunny? The one for Bunny?”

“The only one we have? Yea. Keith, toss it here,” Antonio said, motioning with his hand.

Keith tossed it over and Antonio handed it to a VERY eager Kotetsu, who hugged it close and curled up around it. “Bunnyyyyy.”

“Yes. Can you sleep in that skirt?” Muramasa asked.

“Uhhuuuh.” Kotetsu was closing his eyes. He felt dizzy and drained and not as happy as he wanted to. “Areyou gonna takursoff?”

“What? OH. Yes, soon,” Antonio grumbled. “I still can’t believe you won.”

“Haaaa…”

“He’s gone I think,” Muramasa said and then told Nathan to do something.

Kotetsu started to argue that he wasn’t gone. He was there, and aware, and if they didn’t believe him they…they…

His body finally stopped fighting the drunken exhaustion and he fell asleep drooling on the bunny.


	3. Love is Sharply Dressed Men Saying ‘I Do’

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE WEDDING and Barnaby makes a discovery. So much mush!!

“I’m so nervous.” Barnaby sat in the chair in his all too bright dressing room, Nathan fussing over his curls. He didn’t like admitting he was nervous. There was no reason to feel that way. But still…his stomach twisted and turned and he was a little scared.

Nathan worked his curls very carefully. “Oh Handsome, weddings can be so nerve-wracking. Yours will be fine. If anyone embarrasses themselves it will be that groom of yours.”

That sure was true. Barnaby couldn’t help feeling worried about what Kotetsu might end up doing. Would he fall in the cake? Say the wrong name? Try to kiss him on the lips, miss, and hit his cheek? Kotetsu wasn’t stupid, but he did do boneheaded things so it was hard to feel like everything would be perfect…even if everything really WAS perfect.

He decided he should actually respond to Nathan. “That’s true…so, speaking of him, how did he like his party last night? You’ve not said a word about it.” When Barnaby had woken up, he walked out of his hotel room – as he was still at the casino – and was immediately led away by a nervous looking Ivan. He was sure Ivan wasn’t of age to be in there, but if he was sent to get Barnaby it was likely no one tried to stop him. 

Barnaby had been taken to a good lunch and then escorted to another hotel, the one near where they were being wed. It was outside town where they had a view of the city and the stars, just as they had hoped. As long as there was no rain it would go exactly as they wanted. 

It was in that hotel he was being taken care of for hours. It was a classy place for classy people who came to tour the local gardens. Barnaby liked it.

“It went well. He did not wake up too hungover and it seems he made it to where he needed to be on time.”

“You mean in this hotel?”

“Mm.” Nathan circled around in front of him, checking his bangs. “He is here, not passed out in bed still.”

“Good.” That made him feel a little less nervous. He was actually being quite the brat to even think Kotetsu would not be ready on their wedding, but he couldn’t help it no matter how he tried. 

Barnaby just couldn’t shake the fear that something was wrong. 

“You’re looking quite dashing…of course, with me doing your hair, that’s to be expected,” Nathan laughed a little and sprayed Barnaby’s hair while he closed his eyes. He wasn’t having anything unusual done to his hair really, since he knew Kotetsu loved it as it was, but it was going to look a little nicer than usual – if that was possible. 

“I know.” He felt rude just saying that. “Nathan? I feel like something is…off.”

“Nerves?”

“No.” He shook his head when Nathan let up on his hair briefly. “Just a feeling. You know how Kotetsu gets those gut feelings? I guess I have one right now. Everything has seemed normal – as normal as today can be, I mean. But I feel like there’s something I don’t know.” He’d seen Ivan and Nathan and a glimpse of Muramasa all day, so he knew it made no sense. He had nothing to base his fears on. It had to be due to wedding jitters. After all, it was a day he had never imagined himself experiencing. 

However, Nathan did not immediately answer and dismiss it. That was Barnaby’s confirmation that something was wrong. Nathan should have laughed and brushed it aside with a sassy remark. 

Barnaby stared at him. “….Something is wrong isn’t it?”

Nathan frowned. “I do have something to tell you. I was searching for the right time…oh I hate delivering such awful news!”

Awful news? Barnaby was all set to panic. “What is it?” he asked, clenching at the sides of the chair. 

“Kotetsu asked me to tell you this. And before you become angry with him, he wasn’t sure how to go about this either. There is no ideal time to tell you this and the longer it’s kept a secret-“

“Spit it out,” Barnaby said, not giving a shit that he interrupted. If something was so truly wrong…He needed to know. He needed to know so he could deal with it. 

“Handsome,” Nathan said gently, and stepped back a bit. “Kotetsu’s Hundred Power is gone.”

Barnaby blinked. “…Gone?”

“He can’t feel it, can’t even activate enough to light up. It’s finally run out. He’s a NEXT without a power.”

His vision spun as Barnaby tried to process what he was being told. He knew it was dwindling down, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise. But somehow he had never expected to know a Kotetsu who no longer had any sort of power. “That…can’t…” The corners of his mouth tried to twitch into a desperate, fake smile as he struggled to process the information. “That’s not right. No, you don’t just stop having powers. He can’t have run out, he…”

“Handsome?”

“I need to be alone, thank you.” Barnaby stood up, shaking on his feet. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t possibly be true. What did it mean for them? What did it mean for their partnership? Would Kotetsu still be a hero? More importantly…would he be okay? 

Ever since he learned about how Kotetsu’s power was diminishing, he had been worried about him hitting rock bottom. Kotetsu tried hard but he really didn’t take things well at times and sometimes let himself be crushed by his own sadness and sense of defeat. It was scary for Barnaby; he didn’t want to lose anyone else.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Nathan said gently and put a hand on Barnaby’s shoulder.

That was what made Barnaby realize he was wavering in place. “It is, it is, leave me alone! I need to-“

“Need to do what? Listen here, the only thing you need to do is get ready for tonight.”

“But I-“

“Going off to freak out won’t help you.”

Barnaby was offended. “I just need a few minutes! This is big, Nathan! Do you have any idea what this will do to him?”

“I do, yes.” Nathan frowned. “And I know he needs you to keep it together tonight more than ever.”

Barnaby opened his mouth but didn’t reply. What could he say? His mind was spinning out of control, and he wanted to scream and run away. He could do none of that. And Nathan made sense. But Barnaby couldn’t do anything to change it, and that made him feel guilty. 

Sad, too. It made him feel incredibly sad. Something had ended, and loathe as he was to admit it, it was a connection between them that snapped. They’d been bound by fate, he thought at times, usually when he’d gotten into too much wine. Barnaby wasn’t foolish but he still thought their matching powers meant a lot. It was something big and never to be dismissed.

It was gone and he felt ill. 

“Can I do something, for you?” Nathan asked and Barnaby wanted to laugh and cry. He knew Nathan was genuinely hoping to find a way to help him…and he knew he probably felt helpless watching Barnaby’s reaction.

“No, no…” Barnaby covered his eyes with one hand. “I’ll…I’ll be okay…I have to. I HAVE to.”

“You have to make it through tonight.”

“And I have to help him and I can’t do that if I’m losing my mind again. The wedding ceremony? I don’t even care about getting through that, I have to think about life after it, I have to focus on that.” He didn’t totally mean that…

Nathan sighed. “You care about getting through it, I know you do. It is important you know. Kotetsu will want it to be perfect and more importantly, become a memory you can never lose.”

“Yea but…but…” Barnaby felt powerless because he couldn’t really do anything. He couldn’t leave. He couldn’t lose his mind because that day of all days he had to keep it together. He wanted to hug Kotetsu and while he would have a good week alone with just him after that night, it didn’t help how much he wanted him right then. 

His head hurt, his heart pounded, he found it hard to breathe, and he wanted to wake up, hoping it was a nightmare before the actual wedding. Hey, he’d gotten pretty drunk hadn’t he? Maybe he was hallucinating, even if he obviously wasn’t. He shot the door a look. It was tempting to break it down and charge out and find Kotetsu but there was also a team standing by to stop him – the other heroes. 

“Sit down, Barnaby, and let me finish your hair. Don’t you want to look more dazzling than usual for your man?” Nathan asked, softly. “I can talk to you all you’d like.”

Barnaby had no plans of opening up to Nathan. He hadn’t even liked informing him that he was nervous, never mind showing his clearly emotional reaction to the news. It made him feel too open, something he had been trying to prepare for since his vows would be very personal.

“Whatever,” he finally mumbled and sat down so that Nathan could continue. 

*****************

“Dad stop fussing!”

“I’m not I’m not! I’m just twitchy!”

“Then be twitchy on something that isn’t your hair or your suit!”

Kotetsu frowned but obeyed, picking up the cup of water he’d been drinking from just to do something with his hands. He was ready. He was in his tux, green under the black, with his hair back a little neater than usual. It wasn’t slicked back by any means, as Barnaby thought that looked strange and greasy, but it wasn’t as messy and spiky as usual. 

It had taken quite a bit to tame it, too. Nathan had come to him after Barnaby and sounded astonished to say he found Kotetsu’s hair to be the more aggravating of the two. 

It was also totally possible Nathan was impatient for the ceremony itself and wanted to get on with it.

And that time was drawing closer and closer. Kotetsu had a lot running through his mind. First and foremost was how Barnaby was coping with the news about his powers, but Nathan hadn’t said anything. Kotetsu didn’t press because he was scared to know what the reaction was. He’d find out later.

He was also worried about messing up – tripping over his own two feet, sounding dumb when he read his vows, maybe having a bug fly in his hair or up his nose…he had peeked out the window to see various bugs crawling all over the lights in the ground that lit the path in the garden they were using. That wasn’t so bad, though, that was only the walkway to a little clearing that had held a couple of benches for visitors.

The benches had been moved for them, instead white chairs placed for their small guest list. Paper lanterns with a soft light were placed at their ‘altar’. Kotetsu felt weird calling that, but he didn’t know what else to call it. Their wedding was not a religious one. It was a celebration of their union, and so when priests had lined up outside Apollon offering their services, Kotetsu had felt sort of bad telling them he couldn’t use any of them. 

He was sure one threw an egg at him.

His mother had suggested twice a traditional Japanese type wedding for him, but it hadn’t felt right with Barnaby. And regardless he wasn’t looking for anything like that. He didn’t want a traditional wedding of any sort, exactly, even if they were following some common guidelines and methods. It was tailored to them, custom to them. The only official thing they had to do was throw their signatures down on some papers and then it would be legal. 

“Can I go out there yet?” he asked Kaede, who was responding to a message on her phone. She’d been responding to a lot of them, and from what Kotetsu could tell it was all wedding stuff.

“Um, not yet. Sorry, they’re have some issues with the ground lights where everyone will be sitting.”

“They didn’t use candles?” he asked, looking at her in surprise.

“Dad…candles, on the ground in a garden? That’s dangerous.”

“We have a girl who shoots ice.”

Kaede glared. “That doesn’t mean you should be irresponsible!”

“Hmmm.” Kotetsu just smiled, watching her give him that angry look. It was impossible for him to feel unhappy looking at her in her dress, gold and white with a faint star pattern on it. He had wanted her to wear something blue that maybe resembled the galaxy, but upon telling her that she had gone pale and pleaded with him to let her decide. She wanted something that would shine out in the night, especially against the lights they did use. Kotetsu understood, and was pleased when he saw her choice. She looked beautiful as expected, a yellow glittery ribbon holding her pretty hair.

“Dad? …What?” she asked, a blush rising to her cheeks.

“Thinking about how pretty you are,” he said with a grin. 

“Daaaaaad.”

“But you are. People won’t be taking pictures of us, they’ll be taking pictures of you. Stealing the attention from you father- tsk!”

“Daaaad, I’m not tha-oh.” Her phone went off again and she looked at it, blinking. Then she looked up at Kotetsu. “They’re ready for you.”

“Oh?” He swallowed as the nerves crept back on him. 

She nodded and looked back up at him. “All you have to do is go up and stand by that table you keep calling an altar.” Oops. “The candles on there are set…I’ll bring the rings.”

“Right,” he said, taking a deep breath. He exhaled, thought for a moment, then breathed against his hand and took a whiff. “Oh, God, my breath, I need a mint…I hope I smell okay, Barnaby will smell wonderful he always does…I should have put some lotion on my hands…”

“Dad.” Kaede shushed him and walked over to him to give him a big hug. “Dad it’ll be fine.”

“I know, I know…”

“Even if you mess something up everyone expects it.”

“…Thanks…?”

“I think they would all feel nervous too if they were…I mean I know I would but I’m NOT for a long time!”

Kotetsu laughed, knowing she meant getting married. “Right, right, you better not be.” He separated from her, knowing he’d better get out there. “Thanks, Kaede.” 

“Mmm..okay Dad get going!” she said, pointing him toward the door.

“Okay, I’m going, I’ll see you out there!” Kotetsu straightened his tie and walked outside. 

***************

Antonio’s worried face hovered above Barnaby’s, joined by Karina and Nathan. Barnaby blinked, his head clouded and pounding once again. “What happened?”

“You passed out. We said ten minutes, you got up, wobbled, and passed out,” Antonio grumbled. 

“Oh…wonderful,” Barnaby said, inwardly cursing himself. He’d gotten so nervous, so worried and worked up that his brain started moving a million miles a second. He thought about his parents, he thought of his entire damn life leading up to it all, thought of meeting Kotetsu, fighting Kotetsu, nearly losing Kotetsu. Some of his memories of time spent with Kotetsu before they became an item were foggy and even missing. 

It threw him into a nasty panic attack and down he went.

“Are you-“ Karina was probably going to ask if he was okay. He didn’t have time for that.

“How’s my hair?” Barnaby cut her off. “I probably messed it all up, I’m sorry.”

“Hush,” Nathan said, helping him to his feet. “It’s nothing a little spray can’t help. You fell on a carpeted hotel floor, you didn’t roll around in some dirt.” He dusted off Barnaby’s suit. “We do need to hurry, though.”

“Oh no, how long was I out?”

“Seven minutes.” Nathan was already attacking him with the hairspray. “We just need to get outside.”

Barnaby started to feel dizzy again when Karina shoved a glass of water at him. “Drink this so you don’t pass out again. Geez.”

Was she actually concerned about him? Or did she not want him to ruin things for Kotetsu? Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. Barnaby just nodded and drank the water. 

Soon after he was being led outside. Kaede was waiting to take his arm and walk up the stone pathway with him as the others separated and went to take their seats. 

There had been a lot of discussion over Kaede’s role and who would walk Barnaby down the aisle. He had no family left, and picking one of the heroes felt awkward. He really wasn’t supposed to be escorted by a member of his groom’s family, as according to traditions, but that was about the point that Kotetsu finally did dismiss wedding rules. He had told him before they were mostly guidelines and they were going to use them however they pleased. 

Kaede was excited to walk with him, and that calmed him immensely. She was happy, and didn’t see it as pathetic Barnaby having no one left. She wanted to do it, and then she would leave him up there to go on to her next duty. It would just be Barnaby, Kotetsu, and the official overseeing the ceremony reading some garble about wonderful romance standing up there. Antonio was Kotetsu’s best man, and Barnaby had ended up choosing Nathan so as not to insult him, but those two sat down as well.

It was such a small gathering that Kotetsu had insisted they keep it smooth and as little work and stress as necessary.

No one argued with him about it. 

Music began to play. The processional music, that is, the music he had given Kotetsu a sour look over since he didn’t like it being implied that he was the ‘bride’. That didn’t manage to turn into a fight, as Kotetsu explained that since it was his second wedding it seemed to make more sense for him to be at the front waiting. Once again he would be ‘standing and waiting for Barnaby to come out of the darkness and complete him’.

Barnaby had huffed and whacked him gently on the head for spouting such a sappy line, but it made him smile. 

He walked to a classical song, played by the violinists they had hired. They stood near the back of the guests – a few of the already very few people who were not people they knew, though there was no unease about it. Barnaby was glad they had just chosen a nice instrumental song, as he had no idea what lyrics he could have found worthy to walk to. 

They had chosen Romantic Piece…something or other. There was a number, and if he were not walking down a pathway decorated with the normal ground lighting and special strings of golden lights woven throughout some of the smaller trees in the garden, if he wasn’t noting the clear sky and sparkling stars…if Kotetsu wasn’t coming into view standing there looking at him looking handsome and amazing…if not for that Barnaby would have remembered what damn song he was walking to. 

The music faded, in his mind anyway. It was still playing as he walked by the seating for their guests. The heroes- first and second league as it would have been insulting to leave them out- Kotetsu’s brother and mother, Ben, Saito, and even Agnes (though she still looked annoyed her film crew had not been invited…), they were all there watching. Barnaby couldn’t focus on them, couldn’t focus on the paper lanterns or the candles burning on the table. Not the strange man, either, standing there with a book and ready to recite some wedding script. 

He was there because they needed someone up there to preside over the ceremony, otherwise it would be a messy party…

Nevermind that! Barnaby found himself looking everywhere but Kotetsu as heat rushed through him and he felt dizzy yet again. He would not faint, though, he would absolutely not faint. 

Not even stopping in front of Kotetsu, finally looking at him and locking eyes with him after a brief study of his flawless suit and sweet face. Kotetsu’s gaze was both soft and firm at the same time and Barnaby found himself smiling as he really did act like the blushing bride in his black and pink outfit. He never in his life expected to get married, or understand the joy that came with such a thing.

The music ended and Kaede smiled up at him before she walked back down the path. 

Barnaby continued to stare at Kotetsu who stared back even as the man (who introduced himself earlier as Russell) standing with them went into his “We are gathered here tonight…” speech. Barnaby barely listened, unable to take his eyes off Kotetsu as Russel went into something about witnessing the glory of love and souls uniting and so on and so on. All that stuff was great, but he was focused on Kotetsu, who looked happy and at ease…as he supposed he should.

Even though Kotetsu was dealing with a huge loss in his life yet again, he looked happy. 

Barnaby held back a frown as he thought about Kotetsu’s powers. No. No he didn’t need to think about that. He noted a slight, very slight tilt of the head from Kotetsu. As careful as he had been to try and mask himself during the most important moment of his life, something had slipped and he could tell Kotetsu was asking: Are you okay?

Yes, he was to a point. He moved his hands forward very very slightly and wiggled his fingers a little. Kotetsu glanced down as Russell got onto something about fate, and after a slight pause he took Barnaby’s hands. He squeezed them too and it helped a lot. 

“And now,” Russell drawled on, “I believe you have each prepared vows to read to each other, am I correct?”

“Hmmm…oh! Yes, yes,” Kotetsu said nervously while someone laughed at him, probably Antonio. Barnaby felt as though his throat had tightened and he could only nod. 

“Well, who will be going first?” Russell asked.

Kotetsu looked at Barnaby who just nodded again, feeling strange. Oh, God, the vows. He’d written them, sure, but they had never once felt right. They were accurate, just not what he wanted. 

“I will,” Kotetsu said, letting go of Barnaby’s hand and reaching into the pocket of his pants. He took out a worn piece of paper that looked like coffee had spilt on it, turned it around in his hands, and took a deep breath. “Ah, Bunny…and yes, I insist on using my special name for you…when we met I was falling, and you caught me. I didn’t realize exactly what that meant then. I couldn’t have. You caught me and though I suppose there’s been some times where I almost made you drop me, ever since that moment I’ve belonged in your arms. I love you so much. I want nothing more than to share a future with you. I’ve no idea how I got this lucky, you’ve given me a life worth living. We’ll disagree, we’ll worry about each other, even get mad at each other, but we’ll always want each other. 

I promise to stand by you throughout any and all hardships. I will always be there for you, to support you, to guide you. I will respect you, trust you, and I will always love you as much as I do at this moment, if not more. I will create memories for you to keep day after day. I’ll do anything for you even if you try to stop me.” He offered a lopsided grin. “I’m your partner, after all. I promise all of that. I’ve never been that good with promises I suppose, but you know this is one that will never be broken. I vow to give you my heart, it is yours to keep.”

Then he fell silent, his face darkened by a blush and his eyes wet. Barnaby expected that, he knew it would be emotional. His own eyes were wet. His body was shaking as he studied the smile Kotetsu wore on his face. It was a genuine one that only Barnaby ever saw. And he remained as such since no one else could properly see Kotetsu’s face. 

Barnaby had heard many times before that Kotetsu loved him. He had heard his promises to do anything for him, he knew he respected him and trusted him. None of it was new, to him. And yet, it left him shaking and ready to cry. Every part of his life up until Kotetsu felt like a dismal waste of time, especially when Kotetsu spoke like that. He wanted to curse himself for ever being so cold to Kotetsu, especially knowing the pain Kotetu still often felt. 

“Bunny?” Kotetsu asked gently, taking his hands again. “Bunny, you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Barnaby whispered. “I’m overwhelmed, but I’m okay…”

“Gooood.” Kotetsu squeezed one hand first, then the other. 

“Your vows, Mr. Brooks, if you’re ready?” Russell prompted softly.

Barnaby nodded and let go of one of Kotetsu’s hands to reach for his pocket.

But he stopped. He looked down at the hand that still held his. Barnaby preferred to practice his words for an event in front of an audience, he wanted to give off a certain idea, leave an impression, and at first the vows were similar. He wanted them to read perfectly, leave no strange gaps, make his feelings very clear and know everyone understood.

Kotetsu was the part of his life he had never planned for. Somehow his carefully penned and rehearsed vows didn’t feel right. 

“I-I wrote some vows,” Barnaby started, nervous. “But I’m not going to read them. I don’t need to.” Somewhere, Nathan gasped. “Kotetsu, I love you so much, everything from your silly laugh and uncoordinated walk to that mole on the bottom of your foot. You’ve done so much for me. You helped me, you changed my life. I don’t know if I ever would have gotten free without you or survived doing so. I’d be lost without you. My greatest fear is losing you, I would never recover. You’re…you’re everything to me. You’re amazing. I will always be here to protect you, to support you as you do me. I..”

Barnaby swallowed before continuing. “Despite the…changes that might hit us in life, I will always be your partner. I’ll never leave. I’ll always give you my best and try my hardest to make sure you’re happy. M-my future has never looked this bright before even as a hero. I’m going to make sure it is just as bright for you, despite the losses you encounter . You have replaced the emptiness I used to feel so strongly and constantly. My life is yours, it is absolutely yours. You’ve brought me light and you’ve brought me warmth. I’ll always cherish you, Kotetsu. No-no matter what.” 

By then he was crying, not outright sobbing, but it was hard to talk past the sniffles. His free hand rose to lift his glasses and wipe his eyes, while his other one was squeezed yet again by Kotetsu. He knew Barnaby knew, he had to. He also had to know Barnaby wouldn’t leave him and he was willing to help him get past the grief of losing his powers by any means possible. 

They were both crying, Kotetsu more controlled than him. He wondered if he had cried when he married Tomoe. He realized he hadn’t thought about her once that day, even if he’d never known her. That had to be an additional weight on Kotetsu’s shoulders. Barnaby wanted to hold him tightly but he couldn’t do more than hold his hand.

“Shall I move along?” Russell asked, looking at Barnaby.

How foolish…Barnaby hadn’t ended on a very finite note in his rambling. Maybe he should have rehearsed. Did he sound dumb? But it had been too long a pause for him to say more, so he nodded. 

Russell continued. He went on some more about the wonder that is love and Barnaby knew if he was in the audience watching he would have fallen asleep. He tried to listen, it was his wedding for fuck’s sake, he ought to know what the guy was saying. Kotetsu appeared to be listening even with tears running down his cheeks. 

Kaede appeared again, this time with the rings. Instead of their best men handing them over, they all agreed Kaede would be better. Well, Nathan had been a little upset, but Antonio claimed his best man duty went as far as beating up anyone who might try to hit on Kotetsu and making sure the ‘wonderful idiot’ also didn’t get cold feet. 

Between them Kaede stood with each gold and silver woven-looking ring on a small cushion. She was blushing and looking between the both of them. 

“And now we move onto what you’ve really been waiting for…Kotetsu Kaburagi, do you come to this ceremony of your own free will, to take Barnaby Brooks Jr. as your husband for as long as you may live?”

Kotetsu beamed at Barnaby. “I do!” 

Russel nodded and turned to Barnaby. “Barnaby Brooks Jr., do you come to this ceremony of your own free will, to take Kotetsu Kaburagi as your husband for as long as you may live?”

“I….do. I do!” He repeated himself, feeling bad for the slight pause. There was no hesitation in the decision to take Kotetsu as his husband; he just couldn’t believe he was saying those words. Kotetsu giggled just the tiniest bit at him.

“Very well.” Russell moved onto the rings, opening his mouth as there was suddenly a loud clanging noise of a call band from their guests. Both Barnaby and Kotetsu looked.

Agnes was hopping out of her seat as the Second League heroes rose. They were still on duty, sort of, everyone except for Kotetsu, Barnaby, Antonio and Nathan. The city always needed protection. …And apparently, the heroes always needed Agnes. 

Barnaby could have sworn he saw her smile as she left. Well, good! If she would rather direct the heroes than watch a wedding, there wasn’t anything wrong with that. He didn’t really care if anyone had to leave, though Kotetsu looked a tiny bit bothered. 

“Shall I continue?” Russell asked as the last of the Second Leaguers waved and left. 

Barnaby and Kotetsu both nodded. 

“Repeat after me: I, Kotetsu, do take you Barnaby, as my lawfully wedded husband to treasure for better or worse, for richer or poorer, through sickness and in health, for all my life.”

“I…Kotetsu, do take you Bun-…Barnaby, as my lawfully wedded husband to treasure for better or worse, for richer or poorer, through sickness and in health, for all my life.” Kotetsu gently raised Barnaby’s hand and plucked his ring off of the cushion. He smiled fondly at Kaede before looking back up and very, very carefully sliding the ring onto Barnaby’s finger. 

Barnaby stared at it, eyes wide, unbelieving it was actually happening. 

Russell turned to him. “Now, repeat after me: I, Barnaby, do take you Kotetsu as my lawfully wedded husband to treasure for better or worse, for richer or poorer, through sickness and in health, for all my life.”

Barnaby took a deep breath. “I, Barnaby, do take you Kotetsu as my lawfully wedded husband to treasure for better or worse, for richer or poorer, through sickness and in health, for all my life.” He reached for his ring a little slower, a little more carefully, raising it gently and studying it before he placed in its rightful spot around Kotetsu’s finger. 

“Now, take your candles,” Russel said and stepped away, letting them access the table easier. There was a long white candle for each of them carefully placed in glass candleholders. They were lit earlier and careful monitoring had made sure they continued to burn.

Between them was a long green candle, their ‘symbols’ forming a heart in pink as a decoration on the side. The candleholder was gold and decorative with a handle made of vines and leaves where a tiger and rabbit climbed after each other. 

Each man grabbed their candles and Russell continued. “Lighting this candle shows the joining of your lives together, burning bright in this instant and every night after. Leave your own candles burning; even as you become one you will always retain your individuality.”

Boy was that right on, for both of them.

Kotetsu was grinning so widely it looked painful. “Ready, Bunny?”

“Ready,” Barnaby answered, smiling back at him.

They raised their candles carefully, tipping them at the same time, and then their flames met on the third candles wick. After about five seconds the wick caught and they lowered their candles. They set them on the table and Barnaby watched in fascination as the flame burned. He always thought of any fire in his life as a bad thing, ever since the night his parents died. But he had come to realize flames could represent life just as well as they could death, like a fabled phoenix. 

Their friends clapped, much to Barnaby’s embarrassment. A studio audience clapping? No problem! People clapping because of something so emotional and personal? A little strange. He didn’t look at them.

“Now, you’ve exchanged rings and united your flames. There is one last thing to be done,” Russell said, and Kaede walked up again with a fancy looking black book Barnaby couldn’t remember seeing. “You will sign your wedding license.”

Oh, that. Barnaby felt relieved, not sure what he had expected. “Okay,” he said, stepping forward to take the sleek black pen offered to him. He scanned the license, his more suspicious and critical nature making sure it was exactly what it said it was. Then he found the blank line at the bottom for his name.

He signed it. 

Kotetsu stepped forward next to sign in, his signature a little messy as Barnaby noticed his hand was shaking. 

“And now if the best men can come up and sign as witnesses,” Russell said.

Nathan hopped to his feet far too easily and Antonio sort of forced himself to his. They both walked forward very quickly, did the signed, exchanged some smiles with the grooms and sat back down.

Russell smiled, closed the book, and handed it back to Kaede who walked somewhere else with it. 

“Last, but certainly not least, what you’ve been waiting to hear,” Russell said, and cleared his throat. “Kotetsu and Barnaby have come of their own free will, they have exchanged rings, lit their candle, and placed their signatures. It is my honor to present them as newlywed husbands – now you two may share a kiss.”

It was over. All that waiting, all that anticipation was over and Barnaby’s nerves vanished in an instant as he surged forward to put his arms around Kotetsu and bring him close, not hesitating to seek out his lips. 

Kotetsu’s arms went around his waist as he kissed Barnaby and held it, an in-between of a peck and a more intimate variety. Barnaby couldn’t help but brush his fingers through Kotetsu’s hair, happy that barely anything had been done to it for him to mess up. Kotetsu squeezed him and they ended their kiss, but hugged each other tighter with Kotetsu’s chin on his shoulder. 

They heard shuffling and some squeaks from chairs being moved as the guests got up. Reluctantly they turned from each other to face the others, who came at them without much order. The official stuff was done. Kotetsu’s mother was the first up there to hug him as Barnaby watched. He wasn’t sure who would greet him first, since he didn’t have his own parents or any particularly close friend.

That was one of the very few moments where not having close connections aside from Kotetsu brought some amount of pain.

However he did not have to wait long before a pair of arms encircled him and a smaller body drew closer, wishing him congratulations. He looked down to see Pao-Lin, in a white and purple dress she probably hated, beaming up at him. Barnaby smiled back at her and hugged her back as best he could, thanking her. He couldn’t ever explain why, but somehow having Pao-Lin being the first one to congratulate him seemed fitting.

Maybe it was because in some twisted way when he and Kotetsu helped her look after Sam, it felt a little like they were watching their own kids. Even if it was a very brief amount of time, it was a feeling he remembered. At the time it had pissed him off. 

Everyone was congratulating them, hugs were exchanged as well as handshakes, and Karina comforted an emotional crying Nathan in the front row of seats. It was strange that he felt everything was pretty perfect. But…it was. 

They were interrupted eventually by Russell, who had briefly gone inside the hotel to make sure the outdoor speaker was prepped to play their playlist. It was time for their first dance as a couple. Barnaby nodded and took Kotetsu’s hand as everyone separated, his mind running down through the list of what was yet to happen before they could be alone.

First dance together, and then he would dance with Kaede as Kotetsu danced with his mother. Then everyone else would dance. There would be the cake which Kotetsu would probably smush into his face. Sometime around then would be photos, and then food, and then a little party until the night got too late.

So much. Barnaby could only think about being with Kotetsu, though worry nagged at him again as he thought about discussing Kotetsu’s powers away from any eavesdroppers. They had to do that right away. He would not interrupt the ceremony for it, or even whisper about it in Kotetsu’s ear as they danced. Let the man be happy and escape his problems during their important day. He deserved it more than anyone Barnaby knew. 

They gazed at each other once more before the music started. Kotetsu’s dance steps were as they always were, a little bit clumsy, but Barnaby could lead him, and help him to not fall. It didn’t matter that Kotetsu was still a little uncoordinated. 

Unless Kotetsu stepped on his feet repeatedly, Barnaby really was too happy to care.


	4. Love is a Steamy Shower and a Fluffy Towel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding night....

The click of the door being fully closed – that was the sound Kotetsu was waiting and waiting for. He was tired, worn out, and needed some space after partying past midnight. There was dancing, shouting, eating, fun with cake, and the fine wine had been flowing. There was a lot of kissing too every time someone tapped an empty wine glass as a request, but that he couldn’t complain about. 

It was a wonderful night. He was just eager to get onto the next part. They were in the hotel they had gotten ready in, though everyone else had returned to Stern Bild, even his mother and Kaede. In the morning…or whenever they woke up…he and Barnaby would be off on their honeymoon. Until then…

Barnaby closed the door and Kotetsu smiled when he heard that click, immediately loosening up his tie to start getting out of his tuxedo. He felt stiff after wearing it so long, and he knew Barnaby would want him to drop his pants immediately anyway. The big bed would feel so nice…

“So, Bunny, finally we-“

He had turned to speak to Barnaby, but the blonde had already closed the distance between them and he seized Kotetsu’s loose tie, taking the opportunity to pull him closer. “Finally,” he repeated, and then he gave Kotetsu a kiss that definitely shouldn’t be seen by anyone else. He ran his hands over Kotetsu’s hips and down to his ass, rubbing and squeezing. 

Kotetsu moaned into it, eager for more. He stepped backwards and made Barnaby move with him to stay attached. They just had to get to the spacious hotel bed, which he suddenly remembered was covered in roses and chocolates. Roses meant THORNS. That wasn’t a good thing for naked bodies to land on. 

He began to separate himself from Barnaby. “Hang on hang on.”

“No I am done waiting,” Barnaby said, keeping him close and necking him.

“Hnngg..no, wait, I have to clear off the bed,” he said, squirming. 

“Old man I swear I will take you on the floor at this rate,” Barnaby said, trying to force his jacket off. “It’s been two long nights.”

“Three, technically-“

“Mmm.” Barnaby managed to get Kotetsu’s jacket off, working on the shirt underneath. He was popping buttons at an alarming rate, his eyes on his work. Kotetsu couldn’t even stop him at first, too turned on by how eager he was. 

But he took Barnaby’s hands and stilled them. “Please, I want us to be together on the bed, Bunny.” He kissed his forehead. “Two minutes. That’s all,” he said, and he managed to break away enough to start moving things. He wasn’t going to just throw it all on the floor, carefully moving the roses to the large desk. 

“That’s too long,” came Barnaby’s hushed voice. 

“It’s not, hang on, besides what’s another two minutes?”

“It’s another two minutes I don’t want to think about it.”

Kotetsu paused as he was moving the roses, turning once again to face Barnaby. “Bunny…”

“Are we just going to not talk about it then, if we’re not…” He gestured toward the bed.

Kotetsu frowned. “No, no we’ll talk about it. I just thought it best we continue our night. It doesn’t matter whether we talk about it now or later. Are you mad I didn’t tell you myself?” he asked, already feeling defeated if so. He thought it was the best option at the time.

Barnaby shook his head. “No, I understand, I do. I still wish you had called me immediately, but I’m not mad.”

That was a relief. Kotetsu went back to moving stuff. “I don’t even know what there is to talk about. My powers are gone…and from what I understand, they won’t ever be back.” Yea, it was hard to take, and he would be struggling with it when they came back to normal life, but for the moment it didn’t do to dwell on it. For him to realize that was a bit of an accomplishment.

Barnaby still had other ideas. “Kotetsu,” he said slowly, “Will you be okay?”

“I…” He could easily lie and say yes. The stage of acceptance would be a hard one to reach. “I don’t know, Bunny. I’ll try.”  
Again Barnaby approached him and as Kotetsu had moved all the roses at least, he stopped and stood up straight. “Don’t you dare hide a thing,” he said, his voice low. “Don’t you dare, Kotetsu. When you feel powerless or like something is missing, you tell me immediately. Do not let it eat at you. I won’t let you be so sad as when we met, never again.”

“Bunny, I’ll never be like that as long as I have you.” Kotetsu shook his head at him but smiled. “When we met I was falling in popularity, fans didn’t like me, I felt out of place and lonely…I could barely find a way to validate being around. Disposable.”

Barnaby cringed. “I don’t like that,” he said, taking his eyes off Kotetsu and starting to undo his own tie. 

“I know. I was still, even years later, I was still grieving over Tomoe too. Now I feel happy, and I know she’s happy for me too where ever she is.”

“I did worry that during the ceremony you might…feel you were betraying her. You didn’t even mention her…” Barnaby was working on his jacket as he looked back to Kotetsu. 

“It wasn’t the time or place.” Kotetsu removed the rest of the chocolates from the bed. “I’ll never forget her or stop loving her. But to bring her up during an event that celebrates what you and I share…it would feel wrong. I know she would have been irritated if I had done that, maybe she would have made it rain.”

“Ah…the stars were nice, whenever I did look to see them.”

“Yes…” Kotetsu agreed, waiting for Barnaby to return to the issue of his powers. 

“If you didn’t have me during the decline, and when it finally ended…”

Kotetsu didn’t like thinking about that and really didn’t enjoy Barnaby going down that road, knowing he would only feel scared. “Well, that’s not the reality of it, so let’s not go there. Please,” he begged. He stayed away from that path of thought as much as he possibly could. 

“Alright…I guess that’s true,” Barnaby said with a sigh. “I just…”

“Let’s enjoy tonight, Bunny…are you okay though?”

Barnaby looked away again. “I think so.”

“Bunny, none of these worries are going to do anything for you right now.” He laid his hand on Barnaby’s cheek and made him turn back to him. “Come on, this is our night, can we be happy? I’d like to enjoy my time with you…been looking forward to it ever since I stood on the curb to wave goodbye. I could barely even last these past two days.”

Barnaby blinked. “I’ve seen you go a week without sex.” 

“It’s not that Bunny. I missed you.” He grinned. “Though I wouldn’t mind that.”

“Yea…yea, me too.” Barnaby took a deep breath. 

Kotetsu took off the shirt Barnaby had mostly unbuttoned for him. “Come on, get undressed. Whatever we do, these are at the point they’re just not comfortable.”

“Just because you’re not used to wearing good clothes…”

Kotetsu had to laugh a little and shake his head at the half-hearted insult. He was glad to hear it, though. Any sign that Barnaby was feeling better was a good one. Kotetsu hurried out of his pants, getting himself down to a new pair of silk green boxers with black tiger stripes. Kotetsu just left his clothes in a pile as he crawled onto the bed, making sure Barnaby was watching. 

The sooner he was distracted, the better, because as much as he told Barnaby not to think about things, his mind was trying to do the opposite. 

Barnaby was still taking his pants off when he made a sound of approval. “Nice, Kotetsu.”

“My boxers? Yea. They’re SILK,” he said, looking over his shoulder.

“I meant your ass.” 

Kotetsu couldn’t help blushing. “I shoulda guessed.” He dropped onto the bed and rolled onto his back, sprawled right in the middle of the bed. “I bought them special for tonight though.”

“I see.” Barnaby was finally down to his pair of barely-there red underwear that he was already straining at. He hastily made his way on the bed. He wasted no time approaching Kotetsu. He didn’t even let Kotetsu close his legs, arranging himself between them as he laid on top of the older man. 

“What, no cuddling first?”

“You’ll get plenty of that later,” Barnaby said, kissing his lips. “We’ll have all the time we want for cuddling soon.”

“Don’t-heh-don’t act like you don’t enjoy those,” Kotetsu replied between kisses, arms around Barnaby again. He didn’t resist the urge to give his ass a nice firm grab, capturing his lips for a deeper kiss. 

Barnaby moved against him, and Kotetsu wondered if he’d been hard since before they even said goodbye to everyone. The mere thought was more appealing than he would have thought…he pushed the tiny pair of underwear down. There was no point in Barnaby even wearing it when his ass was almost bare with it on. 

“Then don’t act like you don’t want this as much as I do,” Barnaby growled and bit down hard on his neck. 

“Ow,” Kotetsu grunted and closed his eyes. He had a feeling Barnaby drew blood, though with him licking his neck it was too wet and pleasurable to really know. 

Barnaby licked over his Adam’s apple and then bit him again. He was making cute but desperate little noises as he worked on his throat, down to his collarbone. Kotetsu could only moan his encouragement as Barnaby placed little nips along the skin, before sliding down to pay attention to his chest. It removed the grinding pressure, which Kotetsu missed. He was hard too and craved that friction, wanted it as he dug his fingers into Barnaby’s back.

“Is it good for you?” Barnaby murmured, nuzzling his chest. He only did so for a few seconds before he started thumbing and licking Kotetsu’s nipple. 

“I-ah! Of cour-ah!” Both Barnaby’s thumbs worked their magic on his sensitive buds, rubbing while that tongue poked and circled, alternating between nipples. Kotetsu’s hips rose before he could stop them. It was almost too much! The pleasure made it hard to think at all, not that he needed to. His legs fell further apart, inviting Barnaby to do as he pleased. 

“Mine,” Barnaby whispered, kissing the middle of his chest while his thumbs slowed their motions. “All mine.”

The possessive word had Kotetsu digging even his nails into Barnaby’s back. “Yours,” he agreed, because he was. He’d been his for a while, really, but now it was even on a legal level. “Ba-fuck…Barnaby, I love you,” he said, looking down as best he could at that blonde curly hair, which still smelled like hairspray. 

“You used my name,” Barnaby said, sliding further down to kiss his stomach.

“Mmm…”

“I love you too, Kotetsu.” Barnaby’s voice was losing any real control, and he was growing obviously impatient. He lingered on Kotetsu’s stomach for maybe thirty seconds before he was eyeing the large bulge in his boxers. “Silk,” he said, trailing his finger down Kotetsu’s clothed shaft. 

“Uh huh, yea,” Kotetsu said, too distracted by that finger. 

“Nice. Seems wrong to take them off too soon.”

“Aw fuck no not this…”

Barnaby gave him an evil smile, rubbing him with two fingers then. “Maybe I should take my time.”

“No I’ll wear them again.”

“But this is our special night.”

“Which is exactly why they should be off!” Kotetsu said, thrusting slowly with the strokes he was getting. 

“We can take our time, I-oh.” Barnaby paused, and then the little devil-rabbit rubbed the head and let his finger slide against the tip, wet with precum. “You’re going to stain these.”

“That stuff doesn’t staaaiiiiI mean yes I will!” Kotetsu said, catching on to Barnaby’s weird little game. “Better take them off.”

“Hmmm.” Barnaby thumbed the head almost casually and it was driving Kotetsu nuts. He could come just from that when aroused enough, and he was certainly fucking aroused. 

“It won’t be good for them,” he said, almost trying to wiggle out of Barnaby’s fingers by then, not that it worked. 

“Perhaps some very strong detergent-“

“Oh fuck Bunny take them off take them ooofff!”

Barnaby raised an eyebrow, sat back, and swung his legs off the bed. 

“No no come back! I didn’t mean….!”

Barnaby laughed a little, backing to his suitcase as his underwear fell down his thighs, past his knees and to the floor. His erection bobbed with every movement and Kotetsu couldn’t stop watching. His eyes were fixated to Barnaby’s cock, and he barely even noticed what he was doing until Barnaby turned away and bent over, giving a fantastic view of his backside.

Kotetsu nearly flew out of that bed to grab Barnaby’s hips and pull them flush against his own.

But before he could think about it, Barnaby turned back, coming towards him with a little white egg shaped thing on a cord connected to what looked like a remote for a car. Kotetsu stared at it, trying to understand, but not dismissing that Barnaby had a very expensive bottle of warming lube with him. 

“What’s that?” Kotetsu asked, as Barnaby climbed back on the bed. Barnaby didn’t say much, instead choosing to grab the waistband of his boxers and pull them down and completely off Kotetsu. He dropped them on the floor next to the bed, very un-Barnaby like.

It made Kotetsu excited, which only grew as Barnaby gave his cock a hungry look. 

Barnaby turned his attention back to what was in his hand and opened up the bottle. He turned it and allowed some of the slick substance to squirt onto the egg thing, which was confusing but Kotetsu kept quiet. Barnaby covered the thing, which told Kotetsu where it was going. He wasn’t sure he liked that but he didn’t stop it, didn’t question it. 

“Give me access,” Barnaby demanded and Kotetsu sighed before arranging himself. He had to spread his legs and raise them, bring them back some. Barnaby set down the bottle and reached over Kotetsu for a pillow. Kotetsu raised himself up as Barnaby placed the pillow under his ass for added leverage. 

Once he was ready, Kotetsu waited. “There…” Then he practically squeaked.

One slick finger poked at his entrance, then two, which slid right inside him. It felt a bit whorish, but after how many times they had sex Kotetsu wasn’t so tight he needed to be pried open so carefully. 

That didn’t mean the two fingers didn’t have an effect and he wanted to push down on them, even more as a third was added. Then they were gone. They were soon replaced by something cool and round…whatever Barnaby had in his hand.

Kotetsu tried to look but he couldn’t see. “Bunny…what…what….AAAHHH!” He couldn’t hold back a yell as it popped easily inside him and then began vibrating like hell. “Oh fuck, FUCK!” Kotetsu grabbed the blanket hard, not used to a vibrator in his ass. It wasn’t the first time, but…

It got better. Barnaby gave him another wicked smile and then lowered his head to lick his shaft slowly. Kotetsu saw sparks, and Barnaby licked again before taking the head in his mouth. He palmed his balls in his slick hand as the vibrator went nuts inside Kotetsu.

He was somewhat thankful it wasn’t the big pink one he got at Big Tree, did Barnaby know about that?

…It was overwhelming. Kotetsu wasn’t even sure when Barnaby started taking his cock more in his mouth, realizing at some point he was a couple inches in and not stopping. Barnaby took him until his nose was pressed against his dark curly hairs, gagging around him. Kotetsu felt his throat working and couldn’t help grabbing Barnaby’s hair in one hand. He wasn’t gentle as he thrust in and out of his wet mouth, having lost pretty much any control. The vibrator, the fingers on his balls that occasionally played with his asshole, Barnaby’s tongue – too much. 

Kotetsu knew Barnaby had to painfully hard and that knowledge made it even hotter. He couldn’t stop the heat pooling in his belly, and couldn’t let go of Barnaby’s hair as he repeatedly shoved himself in his mouth. Every scrape of that tongue and the very slight grazing of teeth…hitting the back of his throat- it was just too much. 

And Barnaby knew it, too.

Kotetsu was groaning his name when he came, holding Barnaby’s head in place as he came down his throat even if it wasn’t necessary in the slightest. Barnaby would have stayed pressed down as Kotetsu shot his seed in him, in his throat and his mouth. 

He was still jerking when he released Barnaby’s hair and Barnaby hastily raised his head up, gulping for air. He took some deep breaths, his face red. He snatched the lube and poured it over his own cock, stroking it on desperately. Kotetsu just gazed at him, still recovering and still very aware of the vibrating in his ass.

Barnaby yanked that out almost painfully and tossed it on the carpet. He wasted no time in moving forward, positioning his tip at Kotetsu’s entrance and pushing right in. One fluid motion, to the hilt. Kotetsu cried out from the overstimulation. But he didn’t stop Barnaby, who lowered himself against Kotetsu’s body and looked right into his eyes. They both struggled to keep their eyes open, concentrating on the task at hand. 

Barnaby’s thrusts were hard and rapid as his head fell on Kotetsu’s shoulder. Kotetsu held him close, feeling Barnaby move inside him. It almost hurt since he had already come, but he could take it. Barnaby pounded away, the only restraint at all being their position. 

His breath fell hot against Kotetsu’s neck and turned into nothing but short pants. Then Barnaby’s hips twitched in a telling way. He lifted his head as best he could and found Kotetsu’s lips. He kissed him, shoving his tongue between his lips as he slammed into him. One last thrust and Barnaby buried himself as deep inside Kotetsu as he could, coming and filling him up. 

A few seconds and it was over.

Barnaby released his lips and went back down against his shoulder, breathing hard. Kotetsu breathed hard too, holding Barnaby against him. 

His mind had traveled into that post orgasmic bliss where sex was no longer a thought and all that went through his mind was how lucky he was to have that man who had collapsed on top of him. He rubbed his back gently, squeezing, not minding that Barnaby was still inside him. It didn’t matter. It probably wouldn’t be the last time he was inside him for a good…oh, 24 hours probably. It made Kotetsu smile. 

“Whatreyou smiling about,” Barnaby managed to say, having raised his head. 

“You, and how many more times we’re going to make love before the honeymoon is over.”

“Was that making love or fucking?” Barnaby asked.

“Making love.”

“But I shoved a vibrator-“

“Still making love, because it’s our wedding night and that’s what it’s all about.”Kotetsu stroked his hair. “You know this.”

“Yes.” Barnaby smiled back and carefully slipped out of Kotetsu, sitting back on his knees. He wrinkled his nose. “We need to ask housekeeping for another top blanket…and I think we need a shower.” He was giving his own crotch a disapproving look. 

“Shower…yes...yes!” Kotetsu sat up so quickly he felt dizzy. “Oops, damn…but yes!” He started to move and winced. “I know it shouldn’t but my ass aches.” Each time he thought it wouldn’t hurt just because they’d had anal sex a lot he was wrong. There was always some pain, depending on what Barnaby did. He had a feeling the egg thing was responsible for the ache though.

Barnaby just laughed tiredly and rolled himself off the bed. “We’ll take care of that…I guess. But come, let’s get in the shower, let me scrub you down.”

“Sounds nice,” Kotetsu agreed and stood. Immediately he felt Barnaby’s…load…start running down his leg. “Ah, oh God,” he muttered and bee-lined for the bathroom. He trusted Barnaby to get soap and shampoo together as he ran in there and jumped into their huge shower, turning on the water. It was cold when it hit him and he yelped. He didn’t care though. The less he dripped all over the carpet, well…

Barnaby appeared at the doorway right after. “Silly old man.”  
“Hey, I’m just trying not to get spunk all over the room,” Kotetsu said from the shower, still adjusting the water. “You bring in the soap?”

“Yes.” Barnaby had a little plastic shower basket, holding the shampoo, conditioner, and soaps from what he could see. Seemed to be more bottles than he expected but maybe Barnaby was currently between shampoos. Barnaby brought the basket into the shower with him, seeking a plastic hook to hang it on. He found one under the shower head. “Feeling cleaner?”

“Mmm.” Kotetsu turned to find his shampoo, fumbling until he found the sleek, expensive looking bottle that a second leaguer had gotten him. Honeysuckle and Rose, and since he forgot his own shampoo he kind of had to use it. Well, maybe it would smell nice on him and go with Barnaby’s current ‘Strawberry Dreamboat’ shampoo. 

Kotetsu was popping open the new shampoo when Barnaby plucked it from his hand. He turned it and squeezed a small amount into his hand. “I’m doing this,” he said, and then handed Kotetsu the bottle to put back.

“Aaah Bunny…”

“I want to.” Barnaby coaxed him into the edge of the spray before raising his hands to either side of Kotetsu’s head. He started to massage it, fingernails on his scalp as he rubbed that shampoo into his hair. He worked it through his fingers as he leaned in to kiss Kotetsu. He kept kissing him as he built up suds in his hair and hit all those nice sensitive areas on the back of Kotetsu’s head, near his neck.

Kotetsu moaned into the kiss a little, on hand on Barnaby’s waist. Usually Barnaby wouldn’t kiss him while washing his hair, and Kotetsu understood that – no one wanted an accidental taste of shampoo. But that night, it didn’t matter.

Barnaby stopped so he had the space to wash around Kotetsu’s forehead, then pushing him gently into the main spray to rinse off. Kotetsu leaned his head back, closing his eyes momentarily as Barnaby reached past him for his shampoo. “Want me to do you?” Kotetsu asked, though he knew the answer.

“No, I’m okay. You know I have a particular way,” Barnaby said as he squeezed out his clear pink shampoo. 

“I know. You’ve let me do it before.”

“Yes…I was drunk I think,” Barnaby said, leaning his head to the side and making a face as he worked the shampoo in gently. 

“I’d do a good job. I’ve watched you several times, you know.”

Barnaby shrugged. “You’ve also watched people not wreck things several times and yet-“

“Well I won’t be doing much more of that.”

Barnaby shut right up but didn’t look happy. Kotetsu didn’t feel happy about what he said, and wondered why he had felt like it would be a good idea. It wasn’t like he could joke about his loss, not yet. 

Kotetsu sighed and looked for the soap, some vanilla scrub thing Barnaby liked him using. Barnaby used some other fruity soap himself. He found it easily but realized he didn’t bring in a sponge or loofah or anything…hands it was then. 

“No, let me,” Barnaby said and he moved Kotetsu to the side of the shower rather rudely. Kotetsu decided to blame it on the fact that Barnaby couldn’t really see well with no glasses and wet eyes. 

“Again?”

Barnaby didn’t say anything as he rinsed his hair out. Kotetsu moved behind him and watched. It was quite a wonderful sight: Barnaby’s head tilted back, water dripping down his muscular back and arms, the little droplets sliding over his firm bottom, some falling to the floor while others trickled down his thighs. “Uuugggh,” Kotetsu groaned without meaning too. 

“Enjoying the view, you pervert?” 

Kotetsu trailed a finger down his back. “Oh you know it!”

Barnaby turned and wiped his eyes, his gaze settling on Kotetsu. His eyes traveled right down Kotetsu’s stomach to his crotch and he decided to ignore his thinking on how blind Barnaby was since clearly his eyes were focused on something. “Soap,” Barnaby said, holding out his hand.

Kotetsu handed it over. “Hey, stop looking at me like I’m prey,” he said, not that he cared. 

Barnaby just laughed and poured soap into his hand. He set to work, slowly washing Kotetsu’s arms right down to his hands which he held and squeezed whilst they entertained a quick kiss. Then he washed his neck, gently since it was a scrub. Barnaby went to his chest and Kotetsu was a little apprehensive as those fingers got too close to his nipples. He hadn’t forgotten what Barnaby had been doing on the bed.

Thankfully Barnaby didn’t do anything. “I’m not going to give you the exact treatment so soon, you know.”

Kotetsu rolled his eyes. “I know, I know.” 

Barnaby washed his stomach, lowered himself, and washed Kotetu’s hips and thighs. Having Barnaby’s face down there again was making Kotetsu swallow. He wasn’t going to start grinding his face or anything but it was tempting.

“Hard again old man?”

“Huh? Oh, shit…” Kotetsu looked away from Barnaby’s face. Yea, he was half-hard, and it was almost embarrassing. 

“This is the night to get horny, though.” Barnaby rose to his feet, kissed Kotetsu’s cheek, grabbed his own soap, and steered him to turn around. Kotetsu did so, very aware of the way Barnaby touched his ass again. He behaved and just washed him, a soapy finger through the crack and open palms on the cheek. Barnaby was using his own shampoo on such a delicate spot. He washed Kotetsu’s back, making small circles and working out a couple of knots. 

It was fantastic. Kotetsu just let it happen, especially as Barnaby expertly rubbed his shoulders. It was also over too soon. “Awww,” Kotetsu pouted, stepping into the spray. 

“Don’t be sad.” Barnaby held the soap out to him. “Your turn to do me.” He offered Kotetsu a cheesy wink and waited. 

Kotetsu didn’t need to be told twice. He poured the soap in his hand and practically attacked Barnaby’s chest. It was wet and slippery and he nearly lost his balance, but he stayed up and rubbed that glorious strong chest with wonderful foamy fruity soap. He always went for his chest first. Then his neck, and then his arms. He ran his hands down them as he leaned in for a kiss, holding Barnaby’s lips longer than he had intended before letting him loose. 

He dropped to his knees and soaped up Barnaby’s thighs, grinning as he rubbed inside them, close to his sensitive balls. Barnaby twitched above him. Kotetsu decided to tease, cupping Barnaby’s balls. He kissed the tip of his hardening dick.

“Kotetsu…” Barnaby gave him a frown.

“What? You can’t say you didn’t expect this.” Kotetsu gave the tip a lick and watched Barnaby shudder. “You like it,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Uh huh.” 

Kotetsu took his cock in his soapy hand, fisting it slowly. He stopped just to squeeze it before starting again. “Oops, looks like you’re up again,” he said, rubbing the base only with his thumb. He brought it along and behind Barnaby’s balls, pressing at that sensitive area.

“I’m going to come on your face if you don’t stop that,” Barnaby warned, and Kotetsu stopped. 

Kotetsu stood up. “Your time to turn around.” 

Barnaby shook his head, looking amused, and turned. Kotetsu started at his shoulders since he knew he wouldn’t move on once he got to his butt. He rubbed them, kneading carefully and drawing little moans from his Bunny. He worked down his back, pressing with his palm and at times with his thumbs. He squeezed his sides and pressed on either side of his spine, fingers sliding easily due to the steamy water.

Then he reached the curve of his ass. 

Yea, he cleaned it, one slide of each hand down each cheek. He also put his arms around Barnaby and pressed against him, his cock rubbing against him. “Too bad we don’t have lube in here,” he was saying in Barnaby’s ear. “Guess I’ll just have to…”

“Check the basket, Kotetsu,” Barnaby said a little breathlessly.

“You don’t have to wash your hair again, do you?” Kotetsu asked, annoyed that he might need to do that a second time. It happened sometimes, and usually he just thought it was funny.

Barnaby sighed. “Just look.”

Kotetsu stepped away from him to go look, blinking some water from his eyes. He saw shampoo, soap, soap, PlayNice lube, shaving gel- LUBE! Kotetsu never imagined in his life before Barnaby that he would depend on that stuff so much. He took the bottle out and read it. “Contains aloe vera. Nice. Wouldn’t want the inside of your ass to go dry.”

“That’s the whole point of lube…”

Kotetsu ignored that and stepped back over. “Bend over. Just put your hands on the wall.”

Barnaby put his hands on the wall and lowered the front half of his body, sticking his ass out. It wasn’t bending over, but it worked. It was still hot as fuck though and Kotetsu had to resist touching himself. He pressed himself against Barnaby’s backside again and leaned over him, one arm around and stroking his dick again. 

He thought about saying something witty, decided it was a bad idea, and kissed the back of his neck. He didn’t really bite, some nibbling, but after a lot of playing around Kotetsu found he just didn’t enjoy drawing blood. He liked to use his tongue and he liked to suck on the skin. He liked fondling Barnaby’s package and hearing the blonde gasp. 

“Kotetsu aren’t you going to…”

“In a second,” Kotetsu said, laying his head on his back. “This is nice too, you know.” The hot shower water hit his back. It felt almost cozy, if he wasn’t grinding slowly against Barnaby. It was warm and he loved being pressed against him. 

Barnaby was a little more eager, but he was in an awkward position. “Kotetsu please,” he pleaded, pushing back against Kotetsu.

“Ah come on, you know you’ll get it,” Kotetsu said, kissing along his spine. 

“I know but-“

“Just let me enjoy you,” he said, with more kisses along the way. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t get to slow everything down enough just to appreciate you.”

“You do all the time, Kotetsu, it’s really me who should-“

“No, no, you do fine. I can tell, I can always tell.” Just by the way Barnaby stayed with and trusted him, that was enough to know. 

“I disagree, but…” He wiggled back again, spreading his legs more. 

Kotetsu sighed. “Eager Bunny…” He straightened and set the lube on Barnaby’s back as he coated his fingers.

“I am not a table.”

“Yup.” Kotetsu shoved his fingers right in and Barnaby yelped. He wasn’t loose anymore either, but he was still tight enough that playing with him made Kotetsu want to pull out his fingers and plow right in. But he didn’t. He just rubbed Barnaby’s back slowly as those fingers worked in the slick heat. He liked just fingering him sometimes, it was fun to be a little more aware of the blonde becoming undone – something he couldn’t always focus on when he had his cock in him. 

“Kotetsu, please don’t just use your fingers, please…”

“I won’t,” he said, adding a third. He considered a fourth, but four fingers was too close to all of them and he wasn’t into fisting. It felt like a slow punch up the ass (or he imagined it would) and he didn’t find that hot. What he found hot was the way Barnaby had started to writhe beneath him, begging for more action, and soon to be begging for release himself because he didn’t want to come from the fingers.

Kotetsu sighed again but took pity on him, his own aching member starting to become a bother. He withdrew his fingers painfully slowly, only speeding up when Barnaby shot the deadliest of death glares over his shoulder. Kotetsu gave him a silly smile back and proceeded to slick up his own erection. 

Then he took Barnaby’s hips to hold him in place- not that he needed to- and pushed into him. And like always, he felt soooo fucking good. Barnaby moaned as Kotetsu’s cock pressed further in, and whimpered when Kotetsu rocked back and forth in his own short thrusts before he was fully inside. “Gooood?” he asked, leaning down again to kiss Barnaby’s back.

“Uuuuuh-huuuh.”

Kotetsu didn’t say anything else for the moment, preferring to fuck Barnaby at a slow, steady pace, taking his time pulling out til only the head remained lodged just inside the stretched ring. He thumbed at Barnaby’s entrance very gently even while he was inside, making Barnaby draw sharp breaths and make little grunting sounds. 

He only did that for a few seconds, speeding up a bit after bringing his hand back to Barnaby’s hip. He wasn’t going to ram into him without mercy, even though they both loved that most of the time. He was going to take it slow and nice, pushing in until he could no more and feeling every squeeze as he withdrew.

He reached around again to give Barnaby relief, jerking him off in strokes that matched his thrusts. “I’m not going to pound into you, Bunny,” he said as he pressed his body along Barnaby’s back once again. “I’m not going to just fuck you right now. It’s too quick, and I want to feel this, I want you to feel full long enough to grasp the feeling,” he said, running his tongue along the back of his neck. 

“Uhhh,” was the only response Barnaby could manage. 

“I want time to touch and explore even if I’m very…familiar,” he said, giving his balls a very careful squeeze and focusing hard to keep his thrusts as slow as he said he would. His thighs touched the back of Barnaby’s and he resisted kicking his legs even further apart as he slid inside again, a little faster than he meant to. He took a deep breath and kept going as he wanted to. Barnaby wasn’t fighting him, and aside from pushing himself back on Kotetsu a few times, he behaved. 

Kotetsu couldn’t think of anything else to say that wouldn’t sound stupid, so he focused on controlling his speed, focusing on every inch he felt going in and coming out. God, he really loved Barnaby. He hadn’t had sex between Tomoe’s death and meeting Barnaby; he had to really love and trust someone for that. He trusted Barnaby more and more with each passing day and even if they had been together over a year, nothing lessened for him. He knew it never would. Regardless of what the future would bring, he would always adore Barnaby. He would always want him. 

Under him, Barnaby shuddered and humped Kotetsu’s hand, his cock hot and pulsing. Kotetsu’s body was shaking due to the restraint he placed on himself, but it was no longer staying. He wanted to come inside Barnaby. His fingers dug into Barnaby’s hip hard enough to bruise and he stroked him faster. Kotetsu slid in faster. And then again, faster, but not for long. Before he could get to the point where he was making Barnaby’s head hit the wall his body stopped holding back and he came, filling Barnaby even more.

“I love you, I love you,” he panted as he released himself fully with some short quick thrusts he couldn’t help. He felt Barnaby give in too and hot stickiness covered his hand. He was maybe gripping Barnaby too tightly, but he didn’t stop until his own orgasm finished rolling through him. 

When he was done, his head was again on Barnaby’s back, their skin hot and slick with water and sweat. He caught his breath and let go of Barnaby, rinsing his hand in the shower water. And then he hugged him, arms wrapped firmly around him and content to stay even though the hot water had become uncomfortable. May nothing come between them…

It was Barnaby who eventually started to stand back up, slowly and making Kotetsu let go and separate himself entirely. He stepped into the spray briefly to rinse select areas while Barnaby straightened and turned, looking tired. “That was…”

“Good?” Kotetsu asked, hopeful Barnaby didn’t mind that it wasn’t at least a little rougher.

“Perfect,” Barnaby said, giving him a bright but definitely exhausted smile. It had been a long couple of days after all. 

Kotetsu smiled back and when they were finished, he turned off the water. Barnaby hopped out of the shower immediately, grabbing a big pink towel. He’d requested a few of those, thick and fluffy. The goosebumps on Kotetsu’s arms stood right up as his body immediately began to cool despite how hot and steamy the bathroom had become. He was crossing his arms and shivering when he stepped out, only to be wrapped in a big pink towel- Barnaby’s, to be exact.

Barnaby had wrapped it around the both of them to press them together, and he was kissing Kotetsu before he quite realized what happened. It was a very soft, tender kiss, a kiss to say they were winding down finally. Kotetsu rested his forehead on Barnaby’s when done. “Guess we need to sleep, huh?”

“Yea…”

“I forgot to brush my teeth when I was in there, ah…” 

“That’s alright. I don’t want to nod off quite yet.”

Kotetsu stroked Barnaby’s wet hair, surprised he hadn’t gone right to the hair dryer. “No? But you must be so tired.”

“I am, but I want to be awake with you a little longer,” Barnaby said, and unwrapped them, handing Kotetsu his own towel before opening the door and letting more cool air rush in. 

“Brrrr.” Kotetsu surrounded himself with his towel. “Well okay Bunny, but I might fall asleep…”

“That’s okay. I’ll just stay awake for a while after.”

Kotetsu was starting to get confused, until he realized Barnaby would probably be doing what he himself used to do when the blonde was asleep. He would just watch him, touch his hair and his back, let his mind bask in the warmth he felt. 

“Alright, Bunny. I am eager to spend my first night sleeping next to my husband, though.” It felt odd to say. Not bad, just odd.

Barnaby turned a deep red. “That’s the first time you’ve used that word tonight aside from the vows.”

“Yea…”

“I’m not sure it sounds right.”

“You prefer Bunny.”

“…Yes,” he muttered, nodding. “But I don’t think it feels weird to say I’ll be sleeping next to MY husband…no, that fits you more.” 

Kotetsu laughed. “Yea, maybe, but I think it’s one of those things that looks better on paper. Who cares. Even though we are husbands doesn’t mean we have to call each other that.” He checked that the towel was secure on his waist, not that it mattered if it slid off.

“You’re right,” Barnaby agreed with a nod, and extended his hand. “Well come on my tiger, the bed is calling.”

“What about that blanket?”

“I already took it off the bed. We will call for a new one and perhaps sleep once room service gets here,” Barnaby said, his hand closing around Kotetsu’s. 

Kotetsu didn’t go right away, just watching him. “Hmmm.”

“What?” Barnaby asked, gazing at him with those gorgeous green eyes. 

“Sometimes I still can’t believe that you fell for me too.”

“I…” Barnaby’s blush, which hadn’t totally faded, returned in full. “I…ah Kotetsu don’t-“

“I’m not going down that path at all. I’m just happy,” Kotetsu said, stepping closer to Barnaby slowly, and lifting his hand to rub it against his cheek. He closed his eyes briefly, kissing Barnaby’s fingers. He loved the feel of each and every one, and relished the heat of that comforting hand. He opened his eyes, raising them to Barnaby once again. “And you?” 

Barnaby tugged and Kotetsu stepped closer. “I should think you know,” he said, and really, Kotetsu did. But he let Barnaby say it anyway.

“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and it’s all because of you.”


End file.
